The four suspected terrorists arrested in Haridwar on Tuesday night and taken to Delhi are likely to be brought back to Haridwar on Friday as the court where they were produced remanded them on 15-day police custody on Thursday. Police said they would be taken to several places in Haridwar district to collect evidence related to the case.
Police had earlier recovered mobile phones with fake identity SIMs, laptop and other incriminating items from their possession.
Police sources said that more arrests are likely in the coming days. Being in the age group of 18 to 21 years, they must have been motivated by those heading the international terrorist organisations, now operating either from Haridwar or some other places in the State. IG (Ardh Kumbh) GS Martolia refused to disclose much about the case. He just stressed that security has been strengthened and police have been directed to be vigilant to avoid any untoward incident.
Sources said that acting on the direction given by the terrorist organisations, these suspected terrorists had collected money from the markets to make bombs. They had confessed while being grilled that they had remained connected with the masterminds of terror over internet.
Sources further said that in course of interrogation, the arrested youths have admitted having done recce of different highly sensitive places like Hari Ki Pauri and railway stations as a prelude to terror strike at a time when millions are swarming into Haridwar to take part in the Ardh Kumbh celebrations.
Police are also learnt to have recovered large quantity of ingredients required or making bombs stocked by the youths unobtrusively. Police learnt that their family members had been kept in the dark about what they had been doing.
Investigation further revealed that the suspected terrorists kept on informing the masterminds operating the terrorist organisations about their day- to- day activities.
Notably, four terror suspects identified as Akhlak-Ur-Rahman, a student of Polytechnic College Roorkee, Mohammad Mehraz, a second year BAMS student in Rishikul Ayurvedic College of Haridwar, Mohammad Azimussan and Osama Mohammad, both students of BA in Roorkee College, were arrested in a combined operation by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, Uttarakhand Police and intelligence agencies from a village in Mangalour on Tuesday night.
Asked about the speculations of the suspected terrorists having internet links with the dreaded Islamic State (IS) militants doing the rounds, a senior police officer said, “The probe being in the preliminary stage, it is not possible to divulge details. However, there is little doubt that they were out to strike during the ongoing Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar or on the occasion of the Republic Day,” he added.
Garhwal Range IG Sanjay Kumar Gunjiyal who had played an instrumental role in arresting the terror suspects said that they had had inputs regarding the same around a week before they were arrested. “I camped in Haridwar. Coordinated efforts of Uttarakhand Police and Delhi Police yielded results. Police are on high alert. We are leaving nothing to chances,” he affirmed.