Huge Lashkar arms cache found near Aurangabad

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the state police recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives in a late-night operation at Ellora near Aurangabad on Tuesday. One suspect was caught, but two escaped. Police suspect the involvement of Bangladeshi nationals.

The ATS searched 21 locations in the state after the arrest of two Lashkar-e-Tayiba men in Delhi on Monday. The searches continued past 1am.

Feroz Abdul Latif Ghaswala alias Abdulla and Mohammad Ali were held by the Delhi police at Nizamuddin station as they stepped off the Golden Temple Express. Their interrogation revealed that the LeT had planned to target Bollywood events and business centres in Mumbai. Other prominent entries in the hit-list included Kandla port and some Ahmedabad installations.

The LeT operatives had been kept under watch during their stay in Mumbai. According to a source, Abdulla and an unidentified man boarded the Delhi-bound train at Mumbai Central on May 7. At Surat, Abdulla’s associate disembarked. His place was taken by Mohammad Ali.

But the suspects were being watched by intelligence agencies and the ATS. When the train reached Delhi, two men were arrested and 4kg of RDX, four detonators, and Rs50,000 were seized. Abdulla and Ali told police the consignment was meant for Abu Hamza, who was shot dead in Delhi on Monday.