The agencies are probing if they were planning to free IM Chief Yasin Bhatkal from Hyderabad Jail.
The 33-year-old software programmer first came in contact with the terrorist outfit when he was living in Nalasopara but he changed his base in 2012 to Mumbra after Yasin Bhatkal's investment in a real estate project at Nalasopara came to light when Maharashtra ATS managed to nab members of Indian Mujahideen (IM) involved in serial blasts.
Mudabbir Shaikh, four years back, was working closely with IM for terror funding and investing in various real estate projects which was used to radicalise youths. After Bhatkal's arrest, many members leaned towards IS and were given targets to brainwash youths.
dna was first to reveal about Mumbra man's UP connection after the arrested accused from UP revealed his involvement as prime handler.
According to sources, during the probe of bomb blasts at Zaveri Bazar, Dadar Kabutrakhana and Opera House in 2011, the Maharashtra's ATS arrested Naquee for stealing bikes to plant bombs. He revealed that IM leader Bhatkal handed him Rs25 lakh and of which he invested Rs14 lakh in real estate project at Ostwal Nagari in Nalasopara (E). While the fellow bomb planters, Waqas and Tabrez, who shared an apartment with Bhatkal before July 13 serial blasts, worked as a supervisor and sales executive in the building site.
Shockingly, during the crackdown by ATS in 2012, Shaikh's involvement in terror funding went unnoticed as he managed to remain low-key to avoid unnecessary heat on him.
"Bhatkal invested Rs14 lakh in a real estate project named Poonam Paradise at Ostwal Nagari and the IM members were working as supervisors and managers. The role of shaikh was to remain in touch with them and provide them amenities," said a ATS source.
"He was radicalised by the IM members who later turned into a major asset for them to provide local support at Nalasopara and Mira Road as they kept switching their base when the heat was high after the blasts," said the source.
"Shaikh shifted to Mumbra as soon as he learnt about the ATS raids in various parts of Western suburbs and remained to be a sleeper cell till he joined IS. He started his activities to brainwash youths when we zeroed down on him leading to his arrests," said the official from ATS.
Apart from his involvement in IS, the NIA is probing his role in co-ordinating with agents across border during bomb blasts in the country while as of now the exact role is not clear.
Sources closely working on the investigation suspected that IS was planning to free Yasin Bhatkal from Cherlapally Jail in Hyderabad and could strike on 26 January as National Investigative Agency conducted Nation wide raids and arrested many members which were from IM and had leaned towards IS.
"The IM founder in Hyderabad jail was hoping to be free in an operation by IS and we are interrogating if the Mumbra man along with the other arrested accused were planning a mission to free Yasin Bhatkal," said a senior ATS officer.
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