MYSURU: Is a terror outfit evincing interest in setting up a base in the densely forested Chamarajnagar district? The Internal Security Agency is grappling with the question after what they heard from two people it picked up recently.
Chamarajnagar Superintendent of Police Anandkumar disclosed that Al-Hind, a terrorist outfit, had come in contact with the two persons -- Sadakthulla and Rahmathulla -- seeking their assistance to purchase land near Gundlupet ostensibly to set up its training camp.
The duo who were picked up recently for questioning revealed that the outfit had contacted them over the phone asking them to look for a ‘suitable land’. They both clarified that they had not met the outfit members personally.
The revelation has shocked the people of the region as Gundlupet is adjacent to Wayanad district of Kerala. It has a thick forest cover with a number of isolated farms and farmhouses.
Gundlupet is also just 20 km from Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu and close to Sathyamangalam forests, an area known for forest brigand Veerappan and naxal movements in the past.
Now, the police have stepped up vigil on the movement of vehicles on Karnataka-Kerala border and taken note of people from neighbouring states staying in farmhouses in Karnataka.
The police told people to be cautious about giving shelter to anyone and that it could land them in trouble.
Anandkumar said people should be vigilant about individuals with suspicious movements.
Chamarajnagar district has a large number of contract farmers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu growing ginger, banana and watermelon, who live in secluded houses. The police on the beat in villages are directed to hold meetings with locals and strengthen their bonding with them to gather information on suspicious movement of people in the border areas. The local police held a meeting of clerics and advised them not to entertain strangers.
BHATKAL MAN PART OF R-DAY TERROR MODULE?
Karwar (Uttara Kannada): A message displaying four sketches of suspected terrorists of Indian Mujahideen, including a person from Bhatkal, is doing the rounds of media circles. The message is said to have been released by Delhi Police. It says that nine terrorists are allegedly planning an attack to create fear in the minds of people on January 26 in New Delhi, and have sneaked into the country to carry out the task.
The Bhatkal man has been identified as Afif Jilani (41), a Saudi Arabia-based businessman now settled in Karachi with his family. Bhatkal police neither confirmed nor denied this information.Jilani, earlier known as Afif Hassan Siddibapa, left Bhatkal 10 years ago and underwent training in North Waziristan in 2011-12.
He is later said to have left for Syria to join ISIS, and was part of Ansar al-Tauhid. He recently joined the Indian Mujahideen after shifting to Karachi. Mangaluru police were on the lookout for Afif, said to be part of the group which planned a terror attack in Ullal in 2008. Six persons were arrested, while Afif had escaped.