Phone calls of held terror suspects traced to Karachi
The phone calls received by two terror suspects, arrested on the charges of plotting to blow up ONGC installations and two markets here, have been traced to Karachi in Pakistan and their links with the infamous Dawood Ibrahim gang too has been established.
The duo, Abudl Latif alias Guddu (29) and Riyaz Ali alias Rehah (23), both residents of suburban Bandra and Dahisar in Mumbai, respectively, were arrested at Matunga in Central Mumbai on Saturday by the Maharashtra ATS. They have been remanded to police custody by a metropolitan court till March 18. “The phone calls the duo were receiving have been traced to Karachi in Pakistan. They had received calls on a regular basis in which they were instructed to ensure that the targets get reduced to ashes,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi on Sunday said that preliminary probe suggested the duo were getting instructions from someone called “chacha” (Uncle) from Pakistan to execute their activities here.
Both had conducted a recce of three targets — headquarters of public sector petroleum company Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Thakkar Mall and Mangaldas Market — and were planning to carry out attacks which included sabotage and setting them on fire.
The ATS also claims to have unearthed links of the two suspects with the Dawood Ibrahim gang, responsible for the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings.
The Pakistani man, ‘Uncle’, with whom they were in contact is reportedly a 1993 blasts case accused and a relative of the duo. Notwithstanding the arrests of the two suspects, which Raghuvanshi himself said was made following a tip-off from the central intelligence agencies, the ATS chief reportedly got a rap on his knuckles for going overboard by briefing media and divulging so much details.
LeT may hit 20 targets
Meanwhile, US lawmakers have charged Pakistan’s ISI with protecting Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and urged the Obama administration to take action against the terrorist group.
The lawmakers also warned that the LeT, the terror group, has plans to escalate its violent campaign and identified 320 targets across the globe, 20 of which are in India.
The ISI considers LeT as an “asset,” top US Congressman Marvin Weinbaum said at a Congressional hearing last week . The military intelligence is not only sharing inputs but also protecting the banned group.
Pune blast accused escapes to Pak
Mohsin Chaudhary, the man who reportedly planned the Pune terror blast, has probably escaped to Pakistan and is most likely hiding in Karachi, DHNS reports from Mumbai.
According to the Anti-Terrorist Squad sources, who are investing the case, the 35-year-old suspect was the head of Pune sleeper unit of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. The sources said he escaped to Pakistan just three days after the terror attack.
