Date:04/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/04/stories/2008120458900300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

DJS denies links with terror suspect

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: Vikar Ahmed used to read out the holy book at the Darsgah Jihad-O-Shahadat (DJS) office for the members attending the weekly meeting, said its chief Shaik Mahbub Ali on Wednesday. Except this, he had no other connection with the DJS, Mr. Ali said. He was reacting to the statement from city police that Vikar Ahmed, who along with his associates, fled after firing at three policemen at Santoshnagar belonged to the DJS and had connections with SIMI . Mr. Ali maintained that DJS was not involved in any illegal activity and the police unnecessarily dragged DJS name into the shoot-out involving ‘some youths’.

“He used to come to our office for nearly a year and read out the holy book during our weekly meeting when I was hospitalised due to heart stroke,” he maintained.Meanwhile, Vikar Ahmed’s father Mohd. Ahmed declined to speak to media persons.

The police searched Vikar Ahmed’s house at Old Malakpet on race-course road. However, they could not find any documents or material relating to him. “His father told us that except for calling up the family members that too for few seconds on last Ramzan day, he never came into contact in the past two years,” the police said.