Cops say they don't know of this; '2 others arrested along with Bashir Baba'.
When Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) announced on Sunday that they had nabbed Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Bashir Ahmed Baba, the Parishram apartment in city's posh Satellite area became news but for all wrong reasons. The ATS said Baba had stayed in one of the flats of the apartment before he was nabbed from Anand.
Now, residents of the apartment say that it is not for the first time that subversive elements operated from the apartment. They say Parishram apartment was also in news in the 1990s for wrong reasons. "The Parishram apartment was in news when underworld don Abdul Latif had spread his tentacles in the city in the '90s,'' said a resident on condition of anonymity. According to him, Latif's sharpshooter Sharif Khan lived in one of the flats in Parishram apartment and operated from there. "Latif's gangsters opted for the western part of city for hiding,'' he said.
However, ATS chief Ajay Tomar told DNA on Monday that they had not come to know of any such thing so far. "That Sharif Khan used to operate from the apartment is not known to us," said Tomar.
The two-decade old apartment has 276 flats and in the flat number 192 of block number 16 Bashir Baba lived. Sources said that the flat in which Baba lived is owned by ISRO official MN Satya Prakash and it was given to Dr Anand Shah on rent.
Baba had come to Ahmedabad on February 20 and was staying in Parishram apartment. He had done recce of vital installations like shopping malls on SG Highway, Law Garden, ISRO, Kankaria, Akshardham, and railway stations.
Sources said that Bashir, along with two other persons, was living in flat number 192 of the apartment and kept a low profile before other residents. They said that ATS had information about Bashir and had kept a close watch on his movement.
Some time back, two ATS personnel had come in plainclothes and surveyed the area. Then a police team comprising senior police officials came in eight to ten vehicles and raided the apartment and took Bashir and two other persons into custody. Rajendra Kothari, the pramukh of Parishram apartment, said they were shocked to know that a terrorist had stayed here.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}