Terror suspect Sardana had downloaded information on making bombs: ATS

Terror suspect Sameer Sardana, arrested from Vasco near Panaji, had downloaded information on making bombs on his laptop, the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Goa Police said today.

"We have decoded his laptop and found that he had downloaded information from the internet on how to prepare a bomb," a senior ATS officer said on condition of anonymity.

Sardana, son of a retired Major General from Dehradun was arrested on Monday by ATS after he was found moving suspiciously at Vasco railway station. ATS and Intelligence Bureau (IB) are interrogating Sameer in Panaji. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths also questioned the accused on Thursday.

"We have interrogated Sameer over the downloaded content, but he has not revealed anything. We are still not linking him to any terror plot," the ATS official said.

Sardana, a 44-year-old chartered accountant, was booked under section 41 of the CrPC which deals with preventive arrest. He had been living in a railway dormitory, 35 km from here, since January 22 and had been extending his stay. He is based in Mumbai and has worked for MNC firms like Accenture with postings in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. He was found with one laptop and five passports.

Police investigations have also shown that he is a Hindu by birth, but has been practising Islam. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar had confirmed on Thursday that Sameer had visited several Islamic countries.