JOIN USCCB arrests another terror suspect
The sleuths from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the City police, who claimed to have busted a suspected terror module in the State and arrested 14 men in August-September, arrested one more terror suspect in the City on Sunday. With this, the number of arrests has risen to 15.
A special team of the CCB arrested Syed Thanjim, 23, from Vasanthnagar on Sunday. Thanjim was residing at Jagjeevan Ram Nagar and did centring work on a contract basis.
Addressing mediapersons, B G Jyothiprakash Mirji, City Police Commissioner, said, “Thanjim was a close associate of Shoaib Ahmad Mirza alias Chotu, who was arrested in August.”
B Dayananda, Joint Commissioner (Crime-East) told Deccan Herald that Thanjim had been absconding ever since Mirza was arrested on August 29, along with 10 others from the city and Hubli.
On Thanjim’s role in the alleged terror conspiracy, Dayananda said he acted on the instructions of Mirza, had conducted a recce of certain areas and closely observed the movements of a columnist in a Kannada daily.
The city police produced Thanjim before a jurisdictional court on Monday and he has been remanded in police custody till November 19.
Many still absconding
Dayananda said the interrogation of the 14 suspects has revealed the identities of some more men who were involved in the terror conspiracy, and they are still at large.
“There are five to six people whose names have cropped up during the interrogation. We are on their track,” he said.
He said Osman Ghani, a doctor hailing from Dharwad and working at a hospital in Riyadh, is one of the key suspects in the case.
Ghani was arrested by Saudi authorities on October 8 and let off for want of evidence. Now, the CCB has applied to the Interpol for the issuance of a Red Corner Notice against him. CCB officials claim that they have sufficient evidence against the doctor about his involvement in the terror conspiracy.
Families to move for bail
Of the 14 other terror suspects arrested, the judicial custody of 13 ends on Wednesday. The 14th suspect, Mohammed Akram, who hails from Nanded, was taken to Maharashtra by the Anti-Terrorist Squad.
The 13 terror suspects will be produced before the ACMM court on Wednesday through video conferencing.
Families of the terror suspects are expected to move bail applications on their behalf in the coming week. Anees Ali Khan, senior counsel for all the 13 terror suspects, told Deccan Herald that they would move bail applications, before an appropriate sessions court after the Diwali holidays.