Jama Masjid firing: Difficult to trace email sender, say experts

The email sent after the attack near the Jama Masjid in Delhi by the banned Indian Mujahideen (IM) has been traced to a server in Mumbai, but experts said it may not help, and security agencies may not be able to nab those involved.

On Sunday morning, two motorcycle-borne men had opened fire indiscriminately at an entrance to the historic masjid, resulting in serious injuries to two Taiwanese nationals. A minor explosion inside a car, a few hundred metres away, followed.

A Delhi police official said the person who sold the sim card and another who sold the mobile phone, used to send the email, were detained. The email sent from al.arbi999123@gmail.com mentioned that IM members would also launch attacks in Mumbai.

It was sent using a mobile phone, connected to a data card. This is for the first time that such a modus operandi has been adopted to send a terror email. The IM used open wi-fi networks to send emails after carrying out attacks in Gujarat and Delhi.

In all the three cases, innocent people were questioned as their wi-fi networks were misused. In the latest case, the email has been traced to a server in Borivli. It was traced to a mobile phone number and mobile phone service internet was used. The mobile phone was probably connected to a computer or a laptop, and the email was sent using a data card. The number, traced to a housewife in Borivli, may have been procured by producing fake documents.

Documents and details of lakhs of people in the city are available, with private agencies providing databases which are sold.
E-security expert Sahir Hidayatullah said: “There is a possibility that the email cannot be traced. The only thing that will help security agencies is if they use that mobile phone again.”

He added that log records with the internet service provider could help, if there has been earlier communication. If the user has disposed of the device, it could mean a dead-end on the technology front, he said.