<p>Hoodwinking investigators at will before landing in the net, Yasin Bhatkal was staying in Nepal’s non-descript town of Pokhra where elusive Indian Mujahideen terrorists were flocking to avoid detection.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Yasin was in Pokhra near the Indo-Nepal border for the past seven-eight months so that he could walk in and out of India at will.<br /><br />It was the culmination of a six-month trail of the 30-year-old man from the coastal town of Bhatkal in Karnataka, after a tip off by intelligence agencies received about his presence in Nepal. Asadullah Akhtar, who was arrested along with Yasin, had joined him in recent times after spending time in hiding in Pakistan and Gulf countries.<br /><br />Sources said Yasin was planning to go to Bangladesh to meet some contacts there. Investigators are taking Yasin to Betia, Darbhanga, Motihari and Champaran to identify hideouts. The trail of Yasin had also led to the revelation that Indian Mujahideen operatives are increasingly taking shelter in the remote areas of Pokhra and Sansuri in Nepal which has been a favourite den of the ISI and terror masterminds to avoid Indian intelligence agencies and plan strikes.<br /><br />One who surveyed the locations for target and planted bombs in almost all operations of Indian Mujahideen since 2008, Yasin never wanted to be in the limelight. <br /><br />He was even so brazen and confident that last year he visited Sitapur and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh when agencies were after him, sources said. Yasin was the lone top operative who decided to stay back in India following the crackdown on the Indian Mujahideen.<br /><br />A man who is fully involved in “planning as well as execution” of terror activities in India, Yasin was close to being caught by police at least seven times in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Indore, Darbhanga and Unnao. However, he always managed to outsmart the investigators.<br /><br />He almost attained a cult status among the operatives of the IM because he was always successful in breaking the net and escaping. Sources said Yasin used mobile phones very rarely and even if he used one, it was only for a few seconds. Adept at hiding his plans from public, he managed to stay in Selaiyur in Chennai for quite some time with his wife and in-laws.<br /><br />He also managed to stay unnoticed on the outskirts of Mumbai and carry out the Pune blasts.<br /></p>
<p>Hoodwinking investigators at will before landing in the net, Yasin Bhatkal was staying in Nepal’s non-descript town of Pokhra where elusive Indian Mujahideen terrorists were flocking to avoid detection.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Yasin was in Pokhra near the Indo-Nepal border for the past seven-eight months so that he could walk in and out of India at will.<br /><br />It was the culmination of a six-month trail of the 30-year-old man from the coastal town of Bhatkal in Karnataka, after a tip off by intelligence agencies received about his presence in Nepal. Asadullah Akhtar, who was arrested along with Yasin, had joined him in recent times after spending time in hiding in Pakistan and Gulf countries.<br /><br />Sources said Yasin was planning to go to Bangladesh to meet some contacts there. Investigators are taking Yasin to Betia, Darbhanga, Motihari and Champaran to identify hideouts. The trail of Yasin had also led to the revelation that Indian Mujahideen operatives are increasingly taking shelter in the remote areas of Pokhra and Sansuri in Nepal which has been a favourite den of the ISI and terror masterminds to avoid Indian intelligence agencies and plan strikes.<br /><br />One who surveyed the locations for target and planted bombs in almost all operations of Indian Mujahideen since 2008, Yasin never wanted to be in the limelight. <br /><br />He was even so brazen and confident that last year he visited Sitapur and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh when agencies were after him, sources said. Yasin was the lone top operative who decided to stay back in India following the crackdown on the Indian Mujahideen.<br /><br />A man who is fully involved in “planning as well as execution” of terror activities in India, Yasin was close to being caught by police at least seven times in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Indore, Darbhanga and Unnao. However, he always managed to outsmart the investigators.<br /><br />He almost attained a cult status among the operatives of the IM because he was always successful in breaking the net and escaping. Sources said Yasin used mobile phones very rarely and even if he used one, it was only for a few seconds. Adept at hiding his plans from public, he managed to stay in Selaiyur in Chennai for quite some time with his wife and in-laws.<br /><br />He also managed to stay unnoticed on the outskirts of Mumbai and carry out the Pune blasts.<br /></p>
