Author: PTI
Publication: Rediff.com
Date: February 5, 2010
URL: http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/feb/05/delhiblast-cops-probing-politicians-role-in-helping-terrorist-flee.htm
Suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad
has reportedly named at least three politicians, including a former member
of the Legislative Assembly from Azamgarh, claiming they helped him flee from
Delhi after the Batla House shootout two years ago, police sources said in
New Delhi on Frday.
Shahzad, who was arrested in February by Uttar
Pradesh Police's Anti-Terror Squad, is said to have named a former MLA, a
local leader believed to be a councillor and another leader whose help he
took to flee from the national capital, the sources said. The 21-year-old
accused, allegedly involved in the 2008 Delhi serial blasts and Batla encounter,
claimed he went to the former MLA's residence in Shaheenbagh after he fled
from the encounter site on September 19, 2008, the sources said.
"This is what he told us. We are verifying
it. We are investigating whether the people whom he approached after the encounter
helped him knowingly or not," a senior police official said. Delhi Police
spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said Shahzad took "some names" whom he
claimed helped him. The Crime Branch is investigating whether those mentioned
by the accused helped him and in what circumstances. However, he refused to
reveal any of the names, saying "we have not completed the investigations
in this regard," he said.
The name of a senior Congress leader was also
doing the rounds in connection with helping Shahzad but police sources denied
the leader's involvement. Shahzad will be produced in court on Saturday as
his remand ends and the Special Cell is likely to seek his custody in connection
with the serial blasts case. The Crime Branch is investigating the Batla House
encounter, in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists and Special
Cell Inspector M C Sharma were killed. Police sources have claimed Shahzad
had fired at Sharma.
The Special Cell is investigating the blasts
while the crime branch is probing the encounter case and due to this there
is some overlapping in the investigations, the sources said. Investigators
had taken Shahzad to three places in the national capital as part of the probe
into the encounter case. Shahzad was taken to Shaheenbagh near Sarita Vihar
and later to Jasola. He was also taken to Children's Park in India Gate, where
he had allegedly planted a bomb that did not explode. The sources said Shahzad
told them during interrogation that he and Junaid (who is also accused in
the serial blasts) managed to give police the slip from the Batla House and
fled to Mumbai where they stayed for some time.
Sources said Atif Ameen, who was killed in
the encounter, allegedly "brainwashed" Shahzad in less than 20 days
and made him plant the bomb as part of their operations for the serial blasts.
Asked whether Shahzad visited Nepal thrice after the encounter, sources said
they were investigating where all he went after the gunbattle. The IM suspect
is believed to have told his interrogators that his group planned to recruit
youths and carry out serial blasts in Indore and technical education institutes
across the country, before the Batla House encounter happened. "They
also planned to sent some youths through sea route to some foreign country
to train them in terror operations," a senior police official said.
