Hubli terror suspect visited Karachi: Cops

Dr Zafar Iqbal Sollapur, one of the 16 men taken into custody last month over suspicions that they planned terror attacks, visited Karachi in Pakistan twice in 2012 ostensibly to attend a medical conference, say investigating officers.

This came to light during the investigation by a team of officers, headed by Central Crime Branch Assistant Commissioner of Police S B Guled, along with the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad, that had camped in the City for the past one week to collect more information about the suspects.

“Investigations have revealed that Dr Zafar stayed in Karachi for 15 days, but did not participate in any conference,” said sources.

The team left for Bangalore on Tuesday.

Dr Zafar’s mother, who lived with him in Hubli, was suspicious about her son’s activities and had objected to them, an officer involved in the investigation said.

The doctor’s father, who worked in Udupi, used to visit his family in Hubli occasionally. Dr Zafar had promised his mother that he would turn a new leaf after marriage. He got married two months back. But he continued with his activities, the officer said.

Police sources are baffled about the several visits made by the suspects to a jewellery showroom in Hubli. Their images have been recorded by the CCTV camera installed in the showroom. The owner of the showroom has confirmed the visits.

The arrested persons used four to five SIM cards bought using ID proofs of their family members. The SIMs were bought from a mobile shop near the railway station in the city.

The investigating officers claimed to have found that the deposit amount of Rs 35,000 Sadiq Lashkari, one of the suspects, paid for renting a house at Krupanagar, was transferred to his account from Saudi Arabia.