IM men were planning to carry out terror strike in Delhi: Cops

Top Indian Mujahideen operative Tehseen Akhtar was planning to carry out a terror strike in the national capital with the help of other members of the banned outfit, Delhi Police today told a court here today.

"After arrest, accused Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu has disclosed that he is a member of IM and has been involved in many terrorist activities in Delhi and other states of India and presently he was planning a terrorist strike in Delhi along with the other members of IM," the Special Cell of Delhi Police said.

The special cell made the submission while seeking 15 days custody of Akhtar, his aide Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas and three other suspected members of the IM -- Mohd Maroof, Wakar Azhar and Mohd Saqib Ansari.

Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash remanded the five accused in police custody for 13 days.

The special cell, in its remand application, said that Waqas had told them during the interrogation that on March 22, he was going to Jaipur for assigning the task of carrying out terrorist activities in Delhi to Maroof, Saqib and Azhar on the direction of Akhtar.

The police also said that during the interrogation, Waqas had said that he along with Akhtar had visited Jaipur and Jodhpur and had imparted IED training to Saqib, Maroof and Azhar for carrying out terrorist activities.

It said that Akhtar has to be taken to various  states where he had earlier stayed to carry out terror activities.

"Akhtar has to be taken to Orissa, Kerala, Jharkhand and Karnataka where he had stayed while giving shapes to the terrorist activities in which he has been involved. He can lead us to these places," the police said.

Regarding Waqas, it said, "Waqas had stayed in Kerala, Karnataka, Orissa and had purchased mobile phones, laptops and sim cards which were used in terrorist activities. He can lead us to these places."

The police said that on the basis of disclosure statements of Maroof, Saquib and Waqar, a number of suspected IM members have been arrested by Rajasthan Police in Jodhpur and Sikar.

"These accused persons have further disclosed that they had arranged mobile phones and SIM cards for Akhtar alias Monu from Rajasthan and UP. They had also arranged rented accommodation for Akhtar where training for the preparation of bomb was imparted to them by Akhtar and Waqas," it claimed.

Seeking extension of police custody of these five accused, it said, "All these accused persons are to be interrogated at length to unearth the entire conspiracy to destabilise the harmony of the country and to extract the information about their future plan for executing terrorist activities in India.

"They have to be interrogated to identify the other members of IM. The data of the recovered mobile phones and laptops is to be analysed and all the accused persons are to be interrogated/confronted with the same," the police said.

Akhtar was arrested on March 25 from near Kakarvitta Indo-Nepal border in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

Pakistan national Waqas was arrested outside Ajmer Railway Station on March 22 and his three associates -- Mahroof, Azhar, both residents of Jaipur, and Ansari, a resident of Jodhpur, were arrested by the police on March 23 and thereafter brought to Delhi.