Date:11/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/11/stories/2006031123300300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

IISc. attack helped police foil designs of Laskhar

According to senior police officials the investigation into the IISc. attack case led them to detect the Lashkar network in the State, writes K.V. SUBRAMANYA

THE LASHKAR-E-TAIBA'S attack on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) was in a way a blessing in disguise for the Bangalore police, though they are yet to trace the gunman who opened fire, killing a scientist and injuring four.

Firstly, the city police have been successful, to some extent, in unearthing the Lashkar's network in the State and foiling its sabotage plans.

Secondly, the Bangalore police who had little or no experience in investigating a terrorist attack have now gained some expertise in such investigation.

While the Central intelligence agencies, over the years, have been alerting the police of possible terrorist attacks on vital installations in Bangalore, the city police did not have specific information on the network of jehadi groups in the city and the State.

After the attack on IISc., the city police arrested Lashkar's south India chief Abdul Rehman in Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh on January 1. On the information provided by Rehman during the interrogation, the police apprehended several persons in Karnataka who allegedly had links with the Lashkar.

The police arrested people from Kolar and Bagalkot districts and from Bangalore city. Some of them had undergone arms training abroad and were in constant touch with Rehman.

By arresting the LeT operatives, the police foiled their plans to carry out explosions at Kaiga nuclear plant, the Alamatti Dam and other vital installations in Bangalore and the State.

Senior police officials say that the investigation into the IISc. attack case led them to detecting the LeT network in the State, which otherwise would have gone unnoticed.

A senior official connected with the IISc investigation says that the Bangalore police had hardly investigated a jehadi attack. "We had to start from scratch as we had no inputs about the jehadi outfits."

Nearly two-and-a-half months after the IISc. attack, the Bangalore police have not only gained some experience in handling such cases, but also created a data bank on terrorist groups, he says.

Police officials from the city visited Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan Andhra Pradesh and some other States, interacted with their counterparts there and learnt more about terrorist groups and their operations.

The police have also learnt about the various channels through which arms and ammunition are smuggled out of Kashmir; for instance through the apple cartons that originate from Kashmir, he says.