Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives Mirza Himayat Baig and Shaikh Lal Baba Mohammad Hussain Farid alias Bilal were engaged in establishing sleeper cells for terrorist activities across the state, interrogation of the duo by the state’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has revealed.
The duo was also involved in selecting targets for terror attacks. The police have recovered photographs of a few of the places recced by Baig and Bilal.
According to ATS sources, Bilal had set up a sleeper cell inNashik. “Investigations have revealed that he had procured a driving licence in Nashik under the fictitious name Amir Malik Parekh. He also has a residential certificate in the name of Sutar Munir Iqbal. He was working in a private firm in Nashik, also with a fake identity,” said ATS chief Rakesh Maria.
He added that Bilal was planning to engineer blasts in Nashik and had conducted recce of government buildings there. “A huge sleeper cell module was created by the duo. It had plans to target various locations in the state. They have also visited certain sites at the behest of LeT. We have seized a few photographs,” said Maria.
The ATS is grilling the duo to get more information on their other associates and the sleeper modules of Indian Mijahideen and LeT in the entire state and country.
“Their arrest is surely a major setback to LeT and IM. We would interrogate them and gather maximum possible information about their activities, operations and terror plans,” said a senior ATS official.
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