Arrested SIMI operative Mohammed Kammukutty alias Yahya Khan was closely associated with several politicians and even worked as a polling agent in the last Assembly elections.

Police neither denied nor confirmed the news.

CoD Chief Ajay Kumar Singh said, “We have confiscated incriminating documents from Syed Sameer and Yahya Khan’s residences proving SIMI has been active in Karnataka, especially in Bangalore.

Ajay Singh told reporters on Tuesday several others have been picked up for interrogation on their alleged SIMI links. Till date, seven have been arrested - two from City and five from north Karnataka.

Arrests have confirmed sleeper cells were activated through propaganda meetings, induction and training. Yahya roped in Sameer in 1998. Sameer's name also figured in a Surat police station case in 2002 Gujarat riots.
DG & IGP K R Sreenivasan, meanwhile, lauded the CoD’s efforts in investigating terror case.

Meanwhile, sources said nearly half-a-dozen more arrests are likely in the coming week.

HP clarifies
Bangalore-based company, HP maintained it had never employed Yahya and it was factually incorrect to say a person of that name was sacked for suspicious activities as reported.

Orders reserved
In Hubli, JMFC Court reserved its order for Feb 28 on the application filed by Mr I D Jalgar to meet his client Mohammed Asif, a terror suspect.