Is LeT aiming at soft targets now

The alleged Lashkar-e-Toiba recruiters in Uttar Pradesh’s riot-hit Muzaffarnagar district were part of a Mewat-based module which was in an “advanced stage” of planning a terror attack in the Capital, but busted by Delhi Police’s special cell last month.

The module — led by an imam in Haryana’s Mewat district — was spread across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Last month, police had recovered a diary in which details of a terror attack being planned in the Capital was provided. Currently, police are trying to nab at least three more LeT operatives.

Though senior Delhi Police officers have been tight-lipped, sources said the terror group is trying to recruit Muzaffarnagar riot victims through religious preachers.
A probe has revealed that Mohammed Shahid and Mohammed Rashid, a maulvi and an imam at mosques in Mewat, who were arrested by Delhi Police in December, 2013, were allegedly in contact with several people based in Muzaffarnagar.

Liyaqat, 58, a teacher working under the Uttar Pradesh education department, and Zameer, who is involved in the construction of mosques, were allegedly in touch with Rashid and a LeT operative Abdul Subhan Qureshi.

“Liyaqat and Zameer belong to Muzaffarnagar, but are not riot victims,” said S N Srivastava, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell). It was also reiterated by Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi.

Police said Subhan was allegedly with Rashid when they went to meet Liyaqat and Zameer. Police are searching for Subhan who is at large.

Sources said Rashid and Subhan had travelled about five times to Muzaffarnagar and Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, another riot-affected area.

Srivastava added that Subhan with high-level LeT commanders Aftab Ansari, Amir Reza Khan and eight others were involved in a terror case in 2001. Subhan was imprisoned until 2011.

On the other hand, Rashid was allegedly tasked by the LeT to recruit people in Mewat and the neighbouring areas for carrying out blasts in Delhi. Before his arrest, police had caught Shahid.

He had joined the LeT module of Mewat about six months ago. Shahid was allegedly responsible for providing logistics and communication for a terror strike in Delhi.

Investigators had discovered that alleged LeT terrorist Javed Baluchi, based in Pakistan, was in touch with the Mewat module.

Towards the end of November, 2013, the special cell had received secret information that Baluchi was in touch with several people in Mewat, and was hatching a conspiracy for terrorist strike in the Capital.

This information was further developed and it was learnt that a member of this module was moving in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.

In order to unravel the entire conspiracy and to take effective legal action against the conspirators, a case was registered with Special Cell police station and an investigation was taken up.

During the investigation, Shahid was arrested. He disclosed that LeT had made inroads in the Mewat region and his local handlers were in touch with senior Pakistan-based LeT commanders.