Rejecting reports that foreign intelligence agencies helped in the arrest of Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday said its full credit goes to Indian agencies. “There was no foreign intelligence agency. It is the result of dedicated work of our agencies,” said Shinde.
Home Minister said that he was aware of agencies' operations for the past few months on tracking Bhatkal. “They (officials) had discussed with him the whereabouts of Bhatkal at each stage. They were tracking for a long time and he was caught as and when he reached India,” said Shinde, parrying questions on the logistics of the arrest of one of India's most wanted terrorists.
“Nobody brought him into the Sunauli border. When he landed our agencies nabbed him. I told you they were tracking him for a long time and all his movements were known to our agencies. But those days it was not possible to nab him and as and when we got chance we caught him,” said Shinde.
Shinde downplayed the contradicting reports on Maharashtra ATS, Delhi and Bangalore Police on the role of Mirza Himayat Baig, who was sentenced to death in German Bakery blast. Quoting Delhi and Bangalore Police, media reports suggested that Bhatkal and Qateel Siddiqi, killed in Pune jail on June 2012, were the masterminds of German Bakery blast.
To a volley of questions on this regard, Shinde said Maharashtra ATS might have gathered evidence on Baig’s involvement in the incident but ruled out ordering a probe into police investigation on media reports on contradicting version.
“At this stage, nothing can be done. It is preliminary investigation. Unless the whole investigation is done, at this stage we cannot come to any conclusion,” said Shinde.