Author: Hetal Vyas, Deeptiman Tiwary and Anand
Holla
Publication: Mumbai Mirror
Date: February 18, 2009
URL: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=15&contentid=2009021820090218031615268b90eeff4
Even though Mumbai police had arrested Indian
Mujahideen founder, it was the Delhi police who cracked the IM code when they
arrested teen member Mohammed Saif in the Batla House encounter in September
While Mumbai crime branch made the first major
breakthrough in the series of blasts since 2005, including those in Ahmedabad,
Delhi, Bangalore and Jaipur, it was a Delhi police catch that unravelled the
mystery of the Indian Mujahideen. According to the 1,800-page charge sheet
filed by Mumbai crime branch in MCOCA court on Tuesday against the 21 accused
in the blasts, it was Mohammed Saif, the 18-year-old IM operative caught during
the Batla House encounter by Delhi police in September 2008, who provided
the Mumbai police with maximum details of the outfit and its activities.
The charge sheet contains elaborate details
about the outfit and its activities based on the information provided to the
Delhi police by Saif. Not much is revealed about the outfit in the statements
given by the rest of the 20 arrested accused by the Mumbai crime branch.
This, even though the crime branch had the
custody of IM founder and prime accused in the blasts, Mohammed Sadiq Israr
Sheikh, even before Saif was caught by the Delhi police. Sources said the
crime branch could not get elaborate information about the outfit from Sadiq
as he was very uncooperative during the interrogations owing to his training
as an LeT operative in Pakistan.
"He knew how to dodge interrogations,"
said an officer privy to the investigations.
Saif, on the other hand, was merely a teenager
who spilled the beans under sustained interrogation by the Delhi police. Saif
has revealed several details about the Indian Mujahideen which not only given
a window into the outfit but are also conspicuously absent from the statement
of Sadiq and other accused.
Saif, in his statement, discloses several
new facts about the outfit apart from the general description given by the
other accused.
IM divided into four wings
Saif states that the Indian Mujahideen was
divided into four wings with each wing having the responsibility to spread
terror in different regions and through different mediums.
According to Saif, who allegedly planted bombs
near Regal cinema, Greater Kailash Market and Karol Bagh in Delhi, the outfit
also included a Media Group for propaganda.
The charge sheet notes, "Mohammed Saif
disclosed that their outfit 'Indian Mujahideen' is divided into three groups.
(1) Shahabuddin Brigade for strikes in South, (2) Mohd Gajnavi Brigade for
strikes in North and (3) Shaheed-al-Zarkavi brigade for strikes on VVIPs.
After Uttar Pradesh court blasts they have
formed one more group "Media Group" that is responsible for sending
emails before blasts to electronic and print media.
Their group IM is linked with the escaped
terrorist of India operating from Pakistan with the help of ISI agency and
other terrorists outfits of Pakistan.
Mohd Atif Amin (who died in the Batla encounter)
used to be in touch with them through emails."
Saif further reveals, as detailed in the charge
sheet, that after Shahabuddin Brigade failed to explode bombs in Surat, the
command of Fidayeen group Shaheed-al-Zarkavi was handed over to Amin who had
successfully conducted blasts in Ahmedabad.
Amin later engineered the Delhi blasts in
September. Saif also says that the divisions were made on the advice of Amir
Reza Khan, IM co-founder and prime accused in the 2002 Kolkata American Centre
shootout case. Khan also arranged for finances and explosives from Pakistan.
Brief details of the charge sheet
Apart from this, the charge sheet names 21
accused as arrested in the case while seven have been named as absconding.
All the seven absconding accused, which include
prime accused Riyaz Bhatkal, Amir Reza, Iqbal Bhatkal, Shahrukh, Mohd Khalid,
Shahzad Ahmed and Ariz Khan, are suspected to have fled to Pakistan, says
crime branch.
