Author: A Staff Reporter
Publication: Afternoon Despatch
& Courier
Date: June 21, 2004
URL: http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=news&xfile=June2004_news_standard1271
Thane Police pick up two dozen people
connected with Mumbra girl
The Gujarat police claim to have
provided all 'necessary' information to their counteraparts in Thane to
establish Mumbra girl Ishrat Jahan Sheikh's links with the terrorist organisation
Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Gujarat's Director General of Police
A. K. Bhargava dismissed reports of "a strained relationship" between the
police forces of his state and Maharashtra in the investigation into the
terror link.
"The Maharashtra (Thane) police
is perfectly cooperating with the Gujarat police, and vice versa. All necessary
information is being shared to expose the terror links of the slain terrorists,"
Bhargava told this newspaper this morning.
Reiterating that Ishrat had definite
links with terror operatives, DGP Bhargava said, "The lure of easy money
had drawn her into the vicious terrorist network. Moreover, she had been
actively participating in the plan since a long time."
Days before she came on the final
mission, Ishrat had made several inspections of Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi's residence and had even stayed at an Ahmedabad hotel with
her associate Javed as a married couple, said Bhargava. Javed was killed
along with Ishrat in the encounter last week.
Meanwhile, the Thane police have
stepped up its investigation to find out Ishrat's links with the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
The police yesterday raided several places and detained over two dozen
people who were remotely and directly connected with the Khalsa college
student.
Those picked up for questioning
also include the operator of the STD booth from where Ishrat used to make
calls. Some of her close friends from college and the neighbourhood have
also been summoned for questioning.
The Thane police is expected to
submit its report on Ishrat's links to the state home minister today.
