Govt to probe Hizbul militant's arrest

The Delhi Police on Saturday released the sketch of a man whom the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist was to contact to plan the busted fidayeen attack in the capital planned around Holi.

The Union Home Ministry will soon order a probe to examine the two versions of terrorist Sayyed Liyaqat Ali Shah’s arrest presented by Delhi Police and the Jammu and Kashmir police.

Liyaqat Ali Shah alias Liyaqat Bukhari was supposed to meet the person at Haji Arafat Guest House in central Delhi’s Jama Masjid. The person had checked into the guest house on March 20.

“We have prepared the sketch on the basis of the guesthouse’s CCTV footage and the description given by the staff,” a police officer said.

CCTV footage

On Saturday, police released the CCTV footage recorded at 4:03 pm on March 20. The person had provided a driving licence with a Haryana address as proof of identity to the receptionist.

“He had given a fake address proof. He was seen avoiding the camera by looking at his watch and adjusting his cap,”  the officer added.

Sources said Liyaqat’s associate was staying at the guesthouse by the fake name of Ahmed.

Liyaqat told police that he was under direction to contact a person at the guesthouse, who would have introduced him to five other terrorists. “They would have then hatched a conspiracy to carry out fidayeen attack. VIPs, shopping malls, markets and government buildings were their targets,” the officer said.

Five others

An AK-56 rifle, three grenades, 220 grams of explosives, a memory card, two magazines, a map and dry fruits were recovered from the guesthouse over Liyaqat’s disclosure. It is also suspected that the five associates of Liyaqat are still in Delhi.

“They planned everything. A map was recovered from the guesthouse in which they mentioned their escape route after executing the operation,” the officer added.
A police team had laid a trap to nab Liyaqat’s associate on March 20, but found that the person had left the room.

Liyaqat was apprehended following a tip-off in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district on March 20 soon after he entered India through Nepal, where he had flown to from Karachi.
Police have also submitted a report on Liyaqat’s arrest to the Union Home Ministry. Police sources said Liyaqat was in Nepal to meet a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen associate and was in close contact with a Pakistani embassy official.