The capture of Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and an IM operative Assadullah Akhtar shows that the home-grown terrorist outfit’s Nepal setup is intact, according to a senior intelligence official Express spoke with.
The official said Bhatkal and other operatives were provided a safe hideout and cover by ISI through its Karachi project, (details of which were first revealed by Mumbai terror attack accused David Headley, who confirmed that the ISI had put together a team of jihadis from India in the Pakistani port city, calling it the Karachi Project. With the project, Pakistan’s aim is to use militant groups as strategic arsenal to counter the military and economic advantage that India possesses by making the operatives plant bombs in Indian cities).
The official also said Bhatkal and Haddi were planning a trip to Bangladesh to meet IM’s modules active in the neighbouring country to carry out next terror strike.
“Karachi project or Karachi setup is controlled by ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiyaba involving terror modules recruited from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. ISI had set up a special base in Nepal in 2005 to provide hideout to Indian home-grown terrorists. It is clear that Bhatkal was protected by the Karachi setup and had a free run between India and Nepal,” he said.
Complimenting the spy agencies for a well-coordinated operation, Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said they had done a remarkable job by arresting one of India’s most wanted terrorists.
“We got some kind of success with the arrest of Tunda, but today is a great day since we have arrested IM co-founder Bhatkal. His arrest is very important for us because he was involved in bomb blasts around the country,” Singh said.
Bihar Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Ravindra Kumar said NIA has taken custody of Bhatkal and Haddi and they would be brought to New Delhi on Friday for further interrogation.
With the arrest of Yasin Bhatkal, various states’ security agencies are hoping to crack the terror cases and arrest sleeper cells that have aided IM’s planner to carry out terror strikes. Word is already out that states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra and Gujarat have expressed interest in interrogating terror mastermind Bhatkal. “He will also be able to reveal the details about absconding IM operatives, including Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Mohsin Chaudhary, Amir Reza Khan, Dr Shahnawaz Alam, Ariz Khan, Mohd Khalid, Mirza Shadab Beg and Mohd Sajid,” sources said.