As the intelligence agencies mounted their surveillance in the hunt for Yasin Bhatkal, sending Rs 1 lakh home to his wife before Eid festival early this month perhaps proved to be his undoing and gave away the Nepal hideout of one of India’s most wanted terrorists. The transfer of money done through normal banking channels alerted sleuths of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) whose suspicions were aroused on the possible plans by Yasin to enter India or flee from Nepal’s Pokhra area.
Known as a ghost bomber, Yasin, who managed to give police the slip after terror attacks he was allegedly involved in, told his interrogators that the money sent to his wife in India was meant for expenses for Eid festivities on August 9.
Though there was no comment on the arrest or detention of some other ranking terror modules, a senior officer indicated that security agencies are already on the trail of Yasin’s aides in UP and Bihar. “The information about IM modules active in these two states paints a frightening picture of Jihadi group’s terror plans and penetration among youths.”
In the last 7-8 months, Yasin was spotted meeting many suspected terror modules while he was under the close watch of intelligence agencies, a source said.
Assadullah alias Haddi, 27, who had recently joined Yasin in Pokhra in Nepal, was tasked with assembling a team to wage a ‘Jihadi’ war across India. They allegedly wanted to carry out another spectacular attack and Yasin wanted his contacts in Darbhanga to provide materials for the blasts. Yasin was in touch with former SIMI ideologue Amir Reza Khan, who financed terror operations and played a major role in establishing the terrorist outfit in 2005, sources said.
Yasin met the Bhatkal brothers -- Riyaz and Iqbal -- along with Dr Shahnawaz Alam alias Mister during his visit to Pakistan. Mister was allegedly involved in the Sharmajeevi Express blast in July 2005 and the Mumbai serial train blasts.
Sources said Mister had handed over two bags full of explosives to Sadiq alias Sadakat at the Church Gate station to plant them in selected trains. Yasin also confirmed that training and materials were provided by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba through LeT module Shahid alias Bihari and Jakir alias Bade Bhai in Bangladesh. Yasin admitted to the IM hand in the July 2008 Ahmedabad and February 2010 German Bakery blasts. He also confirmed that Qateel Siddique alias Sajan aided the Pune blasts and stayed with him for over 12 days while he planned the terror attack. Yasin confessed that Riyaz wanted to target Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and colleges in Nadiad, Surat and Baroda immediately after the Ahmedabad blast in July 2008 but later changed the plan and the duo decided to target Delhi in September by carrying out five serial explosions. (With PTI inputs)