The Delhi Police Special Cell on Tuesday late night detained 12 suspects with alleged ‘ideological leaning’ towards the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) out of which three persons were arrested on Wednesday.
The Delhi Police after their arrest claims to have busted the module that was planning terror strikes in the different parts of the national Capital including markets and VVIP spots.
The accused were identified as Sajid Ahmad, Sameer Ahmed and Shakir Ansari. On Wednesday, the three arrested accused were sent for 10 days’ police custody by a court as the investigators said their custodial interrogation was needed to crack their Delhi module.
“They were arrested while fabricating an Improvised Explosive Device (IED),” said Special Commissioner (special cell) Arvind Deep. The Delhi Police also recovered live and damaged IEDs along with some literature related to the terror organization, 11 batteries, two timer devices, three pipes and over 250 grams of suspected explosive substance.
The Delhi Police had detained 12 suspects following raids across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh following which the three accused were arrested. Remaining nine suspects are being questioned at length in lodhi Colony police station and their arrest, reportedly, can take place soon, an official added.
According to police sources, the movement of the three was being continuously monitored by the Central Intelligence Agencies and Special Cell of the Delhi Police for the last one year and that the trio had got indoctrinated through the internet.
While Sajid and Sameer hail from Delhi, Ansari is a resident of Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. They were produced before a court which remanded them in 10 days’ police custody. The three had been learning to put together IEDs over the past fortnight and last night.
Sajjid, the alleged kingpin of the group, got injured while making the explosive device. His left hand was damaged when it went off accidentally, prompting the police to swing into action and arrest them.
According to the sources, the three had an ideological leaning towards the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group headed by Maulana Masood Azhar, who is wanted by India in connection with 2001 Parliament attack case and the terror strike on Pathankot IAF base in January this year.
Besides arresting these three, police and other security agencies have detained nearly a dozen people for questioning.
The Delhi Police and a Central Intelligence Agency conducted frequent raids as a part of joint operation following which they zeroed on the trio while they were allegedly in the process of making improvised explosive device, from east Delhi’s Gokulpuri area. “Names of the other suspect emerged during the trio’s questioning and they were tracked down one after another in the wee hours of Wednesday,” added Special CP. All of them are suspected to be members of a sleeper unit of a terror outfit, planning an attack in the national capital and other cities, the official said. The 12 are being questioned by Special Cell sleuths and intelligence officials. Investigation is underway, the senior official added.
The Special Cell teams are conducting raids in Delhi and UP, and several arrests are likely in the next 24 hours. The trio’s link with Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit was traced through ‘technical input.’ Shakir, police told, was to leave for Pakistan soon and was in touch with a relative of Maulana Masood Azhar. “During the interrogation, they were claimed to have told police that they had planned serial strikes in popular markets in the city and places with high footfall,” Special CP said. He further said their source of finance and explosives is yet to be ascertained.
According to police officials, the trio and a few detained by police are members of a Whatsapp group within which they allegedly shared details about the terror outfit and on December 20 they had organised a meeting at Sajid’s east Delhi residence where views of the outfit were propagated. The three were arrested under provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. Special Cell teams are conducting raids and more arrests are likely.
Those who have been detained for questioning at the Special Cell office in lodhi Colony also includes a youth, who works as manager at the workshop of an automobile company. Out of the remaining suspects, two of them are residents of loni in Ghaziabad; others are from east Delhi’s Chand Bagh locality. The explosive substance was sent for forensic examination. “Further investigation is underway,” said the officer.