With the arrest of Indian handler of the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai, Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, the city police heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that the absconding accused in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) attack was finally nabbed.
But much to their shock, they realised that they were misled by another specified name of Ansari, which is Abu Hamza.
Hamza, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member, had carried out the attack on IISc on December 26 in 2005, and as Ansari’s name matched with these details, the police were further confused. However, detailed verifications have helped the police to conclude that Ansari was in no way related to the IISc attack.
Speaking to Express, a senior police official said Abu Hamza alias Aamir was around 30 years of age at the time of the attack. He hails from Lahore. “Hamza hails from Pakistan whereas Ansari is from the Beed district in Maharashtra. Even the sketch of Abu Hamza does not match with that of Ansari. We have not received any official information from Delhi police that Ansari alias Hamza is connected with the IISc attack,” the official said. The official added that the details of Abu Hamza was based on information provided by Riyazuddin Nasir, a suspected member of banned SIMI outfit, who was arrested by Davanagere police in 2008.
Hamza’s real name is Aamir and the names of the LeT operatives start with Abu. As per Nasir’s description, Hamza is about six-foot tall, well-built and fair in complexion. Also, Hamza is generally clean-shaven, has straight nose, long dark brown hair and thick lips.
“Mohammad Sabauddin, the suspected LeT ultra arrested by Uttar Pradesh police, has also given similar description. Sabauddin along with Hamza had carried out the attack on IISc, and Hamza had thrown grenade on IISc campus. He had opened fire, in which a professor was killed and four others were injured. These description does not match with Ansari’s appearance,” the official added. However, the police do not have information about Hamza’s whereabouts but they suspect that he is in Lahore now.