Author: Prerana Thakurdesai
Publication: India Today
Date: May 29, 2006
URL: http://www.indiatoday.com/itoday/20060529/crime.shtml&SET=T
Introduction: The huge cache of explosives
and arms recovered and the arrests of LeT terrorists in Maharashtra reveal
how vulnerable its security is
The battle against terrorism continues to
throw up grim reminders of just how serious the threat really is and the ever-changing
geography of the networks. That was rudely brought home in Maharashtra last
week. A succession of intercepts on the national highways that pass through
the state revealed that enough explosives, arms and ammunition were being
transported to bring back horrifying reminders of the 1993 serial Mumbai bomb
blasts. The intercepts by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police
were extremely crucial considering that some 25,000 vehicles use each of the
three national highways of central Maharashtra every day. The recovery of
a huge amount of RDX, apart from AK-47s and ammunition, established that Maharashtra
has become a preferred route for terror. The seizure of explosives worth over
Rs 1.5 crore within a week raised serious concerns over security in the state
with initial interrogation of the three people arrested for transporting the
material providing hints that the targets were top political leaders in neighbouring
Gujarat, the scene of recent communal rioting.
The first warning came on May 9, when the
ATS intercepted a Tata Sumo on the Aurangabad highway. After a one-and-a-half-hour
chase, the ATS caught up with the vehicle and captured one of the three occupants.
Another was apprehended shortly after with the help of locals. The third,
the driver, surrendered a few hours later. The consignment, neatly packed
in computer CPUs and mango cartons, was, according to the ATS, being despatched
to Gujarat and Hyderabad via the Aurangabad-Malegaon state highway. The discovery
of more consignments revealed the extent of the network. On May 12, an Indica
was found abandoned in Malegaon. The driver of the car, Abdul Azim, was arrested
from the spot and another cache of RDX and arms was recovered from the car.
The next day, ATS sleuths unearthed more explosives from inside a culvert
at Manmad. Shortly after, yet another arms cache was found in an electrical
shop in Malegaon. The owner of the shop, Abdul Ghani Osman, was arrested.
The total consignment comprised 43 kg of RDX,
16 AK-47s, 3,200 loose cartridges, 100 hand grenades and 100 magazines for
the rifles. The amount of RDX was a major cause for concern. "About 37
kg RDX was used in the 1993 blasts, which had left 257 people dead and over
400 others injured. The 43 kg that we have seized could have caused immeasurable
devastation," says P.S. Pasricha, director-general of police, Maharashtra.
However, a share of the credit should go to the Delhi Police. On May 8, they
had tracked and gunned down dreaded Lashkar-e-Toiba (let) terrorist Abu Hamza
and arrested two others. Their interrogation had supplied leads about arms
consignments on the highway headed for Maharashtra. The information was passed
on to the state police.
Although interrogations of the three let members-Amir
Shakeel, Mohammed Muzafar Tanvir and Zuber Anwar-arrested while travelling
in the Tata Sumo have not revealed the entire conspiracy, ATS officials confirm
that this particular consignment was not meant for use in the state. They
claim that the three arrested terrorists revealed that it was being transported
to north Gujarat and would have been used to eliminate political leaders.
On top of the hitlist were Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and VHP International
General Secretary Praveen Togadia. The captured terrorists are ex-members
of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) who are currently
training with the let, with the links, according to ats officials, extending
across the border. Says ATS Joint-Commissioner K.P. Raghuvanshi: "Now
that we are sure that the entire arms consignment has been recovered, we will
investigate the links of those arrested." Pasricha is more blunt. "The
let trains militants inside Pakistan in the use of arms and ammunition. They
are then brought to different parts of India in modules. They stock the arms
and carry out small activities. When active let militants need explosives,
the sleeper cells provide the base," he claims.
In fact, part of the consignment, according
to ATS sources, was also headed for Hyderabad, a prime ISI target for setting
up a base. The let is known to have set up a base in Hyderabad to recruit
members and to coordinate terrorist activities in southern India. The ATS
says the ISI is directly funding the let's activities in the country. Maharashtra
Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil also hinted at the involvement of a "foreign
hand" in the consignment.
The let has found it easy to recruit active
members of SIMI because they do not have to go through the religious orientation
process. "There are a large number of SIMI members in Maharashtra, which
is why the let uses them. They are already full of religious fervour, so they
can be used to create friction among communities," says an ATS official.
However, the Maharashtra connection is more
worrying. The let is said to have set up sleeper cells in the state. ATS officials
have been keeping watch on the Marathwada region of Maharashtra ever since
the 2003 blasts there. "Maharashtra, being the central and most urbanised
state, has become a hub for people from all over the country seeking jobs.
Since there are many religious sects spread across the state, it is easy for
terrorists to mingle and live in anonymity. That is why the state has become
vulnerable to their activities," says Pasricha. The ATS is tracking the
involvement of these terrorist groups in providing arms to Naxalites in the
Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts of eastern Maharashtra. Many Naxalites
have been found using AK-47 rifles.
The main challenge is checking the vehicles
that traverse the state. "The transportation of arms happens at regular
intervals on these routes," says an ATS official. Adds Superintendent
of Police (Nashik Rural) Rajvardhan, "There are three national highways
and thousands of cars pass through each of them every day. It is impossible
to check each and every one. We are not equipped to do so." The May 9
consignment showed how difficult it is. The Tata Sumo seemed to be carrying
normal cargo but it turned out that 50 hand grenades were packed between thermocol
sheets in each mango carton. There were 15 large CPUs, each containing one
AK-47, 200 rounds, four AK-47 magazines and three kg RDX.
The focus of the current investigation is
on tracking down the main suspect behind the consignment: Syed Zabiuddin Ansari.
He is still absconding and the ATS has so far managed to detain Shakeel, Ansari's
key aide. Ansari, who is the main let operative in Maharashtra, is believed
to be heading a module consisting of 20 men. With the 1993 serial blasts still
alive in public memory, the latest arms haul conveys a grim warning.
