IM role in 13/7 emerged a month after blasts: Mumbai ATS

The role of home-grown terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in 13/7 serial blasts emerged little over a month after the incident with the arrest of Haroon Rashid Naik, currently in jail in a fake currency case, the Maharashtra ATS said on Tuesday.

The ATS, which yesterday claimed a breakthrough in the probe with the arrest of two youths from Bihar's Darbhanga district, also said it was with Naik's arrest that the agency stumbled upon the money trail in the blasts and zeroed in on IM as the perpetrators.

"The financial trail of the blast case began after the arrest of Haroon Rashid Naik in a fake currency case on August 22 last year. This is also the day when we realised it was IM which triggered the blasts," ATS chief Rakesh Maria told reporters.

Though no group had claimed responsibility for the blasts that ripped through three crowded business districts on July 13 last year claiming 27 lives, Mumbai police had made plain its suspicion about the involvement of IM.

Naik, according to Maria, gave financial help for the the blasts that revived the horrifying memories of 26/11 attacks.

It emerged during the probe that IM members in Pune, Mumbai, Bihar and Punjab were in touch with each other through SIM cards procured using bogus documents, an ATS source said.

ATS teams were dispatched to these places and that resulted in the arrest of eight persons including IM members Naqi Ahmed Wasi Ahmed Sheikh (22) and Nadeem Akhtar Ashfaq Sheikh (23), the duo whose arrest was announced yesterday by Maria as a breakthrough in the blasts case.

A bunch of 400 applications filled in by original clients provided by a SIM card agent identified as Ganesh Tikole, who is behind the bars, were used to get the connections, according to police.

"One Imran, later identified as Yasin Bhatkal, had also used one of these SIM cards to remain in touch with other accused. Hence Bhatkal is shown as a wanted accused in the SIM cards case as well," Maria said.

While identifying Bhatkal as the mastermind of the blasts, Maria said Naik, who is yet to be held in the blast case, had not only provided financial assistance in the crime but was also a participant in the conspiracy.

Naqi, who used to stay in Delhi, came to Mumbai on instructions of Bhatkal, who had indoctrinated him in Darbhanga after the two came in touch in 2008.

Subsequently Bhatkal came to Mumbai to look for a suitable apartment. He surveyed two-three houses in Madanpura area but rejected them due to frequent movement of police.

The ATS has also sought transit remand of alleged IM operative Mohammad Qateel Siddiqui (27), currently in a Delhi prison, for interrogation in the German Bakery blast case, Maria said. "We are hoping to get his custody soon," he added.

A pan-India terror module had been busted in November with the arrest of six suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives including a Pakistani by the Delhi Police which claimed to have got vital leads in terror cases like German Bakery blast and shootout at Delhi's Jama Masjid. 28-year-old Yasin Bhatkal was identified as the kingpin of the module and Siddiqui a member.

The module was tracked down with the help of Siddqui who was arrested from Anand Vihar bus terminus in Delhi.

Maria also expressed concern over rampant use of SIM cards obtained using fake documents, saying nearly 36 per cent of mobile connections in the city were procured fraudulently.

"City police randomly selected 26,450 mobile numbers and verified their addresses. Of them, 36 per cent connections were found to have been obtained by submitting fake documents," he said.