Weekend arrests major success: Govt

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) this week arrested two terror suspects Abdul Latif alias “Guddu” and Riyaz Ali from Mumbai, while the Gujarat ATS unit arrested Bashir Ahmed Baba alias “Pepsi bomber” from Anand district in Gujarat. The three are reported to have links in Pakistan. Security forces also during this week arrested the chief of Kanglei Yawol Kunna Lup (KYKL), a militant organisation based in Manipur.

“This weekend we have had three major successes. One module has been busted in Mumbai in Maharashtra, which the Maharashtra ATS has already made statement... We have another module being busted in Gujarat of the Hizbul Mujahideen and KYKL chief of the army has been arrested in Manipur also... So it’s been good,” Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said.

A court on Sunday granted Mumbai Police custody of two suspected terrorists till March 18 on charges of attempting to blow up the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plant in the city.

The two terrorists, identified as Latif and Guddu, were arrested from a central Mumbai suburb with vital clues and installations of blowing up the ONGC plant. Both suspects had reportedly also made a call to Pakistan and interacted with a handler they called “Uncle” prior to their arrest, sources said.