Top SIMI operatives to be quizzed by Delhi police on IM links

With almost the entire leadership of Indian Mujahideen behind bars, Delhi Police is now trying to unearth the links between the outfit and banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) to curb terror activities in the country.

For this purpose, the custody of Safdar Nagori, who used to be the "general secretary" of SIMI and an alleged mastermind of 2008 serial bomb blasts in Gujarat, has been taken by the Special Cell of Delhi Police.

He would be brought to the national capital in the next couple of days. He had been lodged in Sabarmati central jail since 2008.

Another top SIMI operative and alleged MP chief of SIMI, Abu Faisal has already been brought to Delhi from Bhopal by the Special Cell.

According to Delhi Police sources, Special Cell wants to interrogate the two in the light of the revelations recently made by arrested top IM operatives Zia Ur Rehman alias Waqas and Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu.

Akhta,r who was heading IM after the arrest of Yaseen Bhatkal, was the key link between IM and SIMI.

Akhtar had told interrogators that the blasts in Patna at Narendra Modi's rally in October last year were "essentially" carried out by SIMI and that IM had no direct connection with it.

He had also revealed about his ties with Haider, known to intelligence agencies as 'Black Beauty',  who is a key member of SIMI’s Ranchi module and is said to be the man behind the Patna blasts.

"We want to understand what was the level of cooperation between IM and SIMI and for this purpose Nagori and Faisal would be interrogated," said an officer close to the investigation.

The two would also be questioned about the possible whereabouts of Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqir, said to be SIMI's head and that of Haider.

Faisal also known as 'Doctor' because he once was a BHMS student was introduced to Waqas by Monu and is also believed to have provided financial assistance to Waqas when he was hiding in Munnar, Kerala.

Faisal has already been brought to Delhi and is learnt to have told interrogators that SIMI had split into two groups, a liberal faction and a hardline faction, in 2003. He had gone on with the hardliners who believed in violence and target killings.

"He also says that IM is creation of Pakistan's ISI.He also terms ISI as one of the biggest enemies because it is responsible for killing of large number of 'Mujahideens' in Pakistan and Afghanistan with connivance with NATO forces," the official said.

"He also claims that SIMI is almost non-existent but we cannot take what he says on face value as we know Haider and Tauqir are still active," he said.

Faisal was arrested in connection with several dacoities and murder of MP anti-terrorist squad personnel along with other SIMI operatives.

Later, he had escaped from Khandwa prison with six others on October 2 last year but was re-arrested by the MP anti-terrorist squad from Barwani district in the state.

Safdar Nagori was arrested by Indore police just a few months ahead of the serial blasts in Gujarat during July 2008.

When his name surfaced during the investigation, Gujarat police took him into custody from Madhya Pradesh and lodged him in Sabarmati jail.

Tauqir had left the spot minutes before Nagauri was arrested and is still untraced.