The Delhi Police Special Cell has busted a Pakistan-orchestrated terror module and arrested six people, including two Pakistan-ISI trained terrorists, in a multi-state operation. Large congregations in major cities during the upcoming festival season, including Navratri and Ramlila, were likely targets by way of serial blasts and targeted killings, said Pramod Singh Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Delhi.
Explosives and firearms have been recovered from the arrested persons. With this, the nexus of Pakistan-ISI and the underworld in coordinating terror activities has been busted. Anees Ibrahim, brother of Dawood Ibrahim, presently based in Pakistan, was the underworld connect, Kushwah said. A sleeper cell of underworld criminals has also been busted and the new modus operandi adopted by Pakistan-ISI for training radicalized Indian youths has been exposed. The arrest of four of the accused persons has exposed the nexus between ISI-sponsored and trained terror modules with underworld operatives and averted a slew of serial blasts and targeted killings in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states in India. The arrested persons are: Jaan Mohammad Shaikh @ Sameer Kaliya, s/o Ali Mohammad Shaikh r/o H. No. 185, Sion West, M.G. Road, Kelabakhar, Social Nagar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, age 47 years; Osama @ Sami, s/o Usaidur Rehman r/o D-71, Ground Floor, Abul Fazal Enclave Part-I, Okhla, Jamia Nagar, Delhi, age 22 years; Moolchand @ Saaju @ Lala s/o Om Prakash Srivastav R/o Vill. Salimpur Bhairo, Distt. Rae Bareli, UP, age 47 years; Zeeshan Qamar, s/o Qamaru Zaman r/o C 712, GTB Nagar, Kareli, Allahabad, UP, age 28 years; Mohd Abu Bakar, s/o Mohd Sunna Khan r/o Tent House, Sonari chowraha PS Kesargunj, Behraich, UP age 23 years; and Mohd Amir Javed, s/o Aslam Javed Beg r/o 283/64/6, Manaknagar Premvati Nagar, Bakshika Talab, Lucknow, UP, age 31 years.
The arrested persons were tasked separately to execute different aspects of the terror plan. The underworld operative Sameer, a close contact of Anees Ibrahim, was tasked by a Pakistan-based person connected with underworld operatives hiding in Pakistan, to ensure the smooth delivery of IEDs, sophisticated weapons and grenades to different entities in India. Osama and Zeeshan, who are Pakistan-trained terror operatives working under the instructions of ISI, were tasked to conduct the reconnaissance of different suitable locations in Delhi and UP for placing the IEDs.
INCIDENT AND OPERATION
The Special Cell of Delhi Police had received a reliable input from a Central agency that a Pakistan-abetted and sponsored group of entities was planning to execute serial IED blasts in India. For this, the group had got multiple IEDs arranged from sources across the border and were at an advanced stage of preparation. Inputs further indicated that an Okhla, Delhi-based, entity is an important part of this module. He has associates based in various parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. To unearth the whole conspiracy and considering the sensitivity of the input, a comprehensive investigation was initiated. A team of Special Cell led by Inspectors Sunil Rajain, Ravinder Joshi and Vinay Pal, under the close supervision of Lalit Mohan Negi and Hridaya Bhushan, ACsP/NDR, was constituted for the purpose.
INFORMATION & ARREST
Considering the gravity of the situation and the stakes involved, a multi-pronged operation was launched and several teams were stationed at Mumbai in Maharashtra and Lucknow, Prayagraj, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh in UP simultaneously, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Delhi, Pramod Singh Kushwah said. On Tuesday, on the basis of intelligence gathered through human as well as technical nodes, simultaneous raids were conducted in different states. Initially, underworld operative Jan Mohd Sheikh @ Sameer Kaliya was apprehended from near Kota, Rajasthan while he was on his way to Delhi; Osama was apprehended from Okhla, Delhi; Mohd Abu Bakar was apprehended from Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi; Zeeshan was apprehended from Allahabad, UP; Mohd Amir Javed was apprehended from Lucknow, UP; and Moolchand @ Saaju @ Lala was apprehended from Rae Bareli, UP. The operation in UP was done in close coordination with officers of UP ATS.
Interrogation has revealed that this module had received sophisticated RDX based IEDs, grenades, pistols and cartridges from a sleeper cell operative and these were sent to UP for safe concealment. Thereafter, underworld operative Jan Mohd Sheikh @ Sameer Kaliya along with Moolchand @ Saaju @ Lala were tasked by Pakistan-based Anees Ibrahim to receive the same in Delhi. The same was to be handed over to other terror operatives in Delhi and Mumbai and other parts of the country. Subsequently, further deliveries of similar consignments of IEDs were to be done through the same channel. The underworld component acting at the behest of Pak-ISI was entrusted with two tasks—(i) transportation of arms and explosives, and (ii) terror funding through hawala channels. The Pakistan-ISI trained terror component was tasked with reconnaissance of targets and planting of the IEDs. Further nodes of this network are being identified.
OSAMA AND ZEESHAN
The accused Osama left for Muscat, Oman on 22 April 2021 by Salaam Air flight from Lucknow. In Muscat, he met Zeeshan, who had also gone there from India to join training in Pakistan. They were joined by 15-16 Bengali speaking people (probably from Bangladesh). They were divided into sub-groups and Zeeshan and Osama were placed in one group.
Over the next few days, after several short sea-journeys, changing boats several times, they were taken to a town called Jioni, near Gwadar port in Pakistan. There they were received by one Pakistani who took them to a farmhouse in Thatta. There were three Pakistani nationals there. Two of them, Jabbar and Hamza, imparted training to them. Both were from the Pakistan Army and wore military uniforms. They taught to make bombs and IEDs and commit arson with the help of items of daily use. They were also trained in the handling and use of small firearms and AK-47s. The training lasted for almost 15 days and, thereafter, they were taken back to Muscat via the same route. Further investigation was going on, Special Cell DCP, Kushwah said.