Delhi Police Special Cell and Intelligence Bureau, with help from UP ATS, on Tuesday foiled a sinister plot hatched by Pakistan spy agency ISI and Dawod Ibrahim gang to carry out serial blasts in Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh during Ramlila, Navratri and Dussehra festival.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested six operatives of a terror module and recovered several RDX based IEDs, grenades, Beretta pistols and cartrdiges. Till now, one kg of RDX explosive has been seized.
The six terrorists are: Jaan Mohammad Sheikh alias Sameer Kallya of Mumbai, Osama alias Sami of Jamia Nagar, Delhi, Moolchand alias Shaaju of Rae Bareli, Zeeshan Qamar of Prayagraj, Mohammad Abu Bakar of Bahraich and Mohammed Amir Javed of Bakshi Talab, Lucknow. All of them were nabbed during raids in Delhi and several towns of UP. The explosives and weapons were seized from Prayagraj.
Interrogation revealed that Osama had left for Muscat, Oman by Salaam Air flight from Lucknow on April 22, where he met Zeeshan Qamar who had also come to join the training. In Muscat, the two Indians met 15 to 16 Bangladeshis, who were later divided into sub-groups. Osama and Zeeshan were put in one group.
Official sources said, Osama and Zeeshan were taken in small boats from Muscat, Oman by sea to Jiwani town near Gwadar sea port, where they were welcomed by a Pakistani official and taken to a farm house in Thatta of Sind province. There were three Pakistanis in the farm house. Two of them, Hamza and Jabbar, wearing Pakistani army uniform, trained them for 15 days in the use of AK-47 rifles and making of improvised explosive devices using items of daily use.
These two Pakistani soldiers were working under instructions from a Lieutenant or Major rank ISI officer. The two trained terrorists were tasked to carry out reconnaissance and chose locations for planting IEDs. Osama was nabbed from Okhla, and Mohammed Abu Bakar was arrested from Sarai Kale Khan. Zeeshan Qamar, Amir Javed and Moolchand alias Saaju were nabbed with the help of UP Anti-Terrorist Squad.
Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Anees Ibrahim was instrumental in transporting these IEDs, grenades, pistols and cartridges through their operatives to India, officials said. The explosives and weapons were sent to Prayagraj to be kept safely.
Jaan Mohammad Sheikh and Moolchand alias Shaaju were tasked to hand over these explosives and weapons to terrorists for use in Delhi, Mumbai and other places of UP. The explosives were to be used near large gatherings during festivals, police said.
Indian officials pointed out that Thatta, located east of Karachi, is the same place where 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab was trained by ISI and Pakistani Navy elite force, Special Service Group. Earlier, Pakistan used the Dubai route to bring probable terrorists for training, but for the first time, Oman has been used, officials pointed out. Also, for the first time since 1993 Mumbai blasts, Dawood’s underworld gang appeared to be in nexus with the ISI for carrying out these deadly serial blasts during festive season this year.
Two conclusions arise from the information given by Indian security officials.
One, it has now become easy for the ISI to radicalize Indian youths, call them to foreign lands and from there, take them to Pakistan for training in use of rifles and explosives. Since crossing the Line of Control on India-Pakistan border is difficult due to strict surveillance by BSF and army over the past several years, the ISI has preferred the air route.
Two, since Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba networks have now become weak, the ISI has chosen the help of Dawood’s underground gang. Delhi Police, UP ATS and intelligence agencies need a pat on their back for foiling this sinister plot in the nick of time.