BHUBANESWAR/BHADRAK: The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch, which began investigation into the activities of the SIMI operatives, on Friday found notes related to bomb-making in the second safe house at Bhadrak.
Led by Special DG, Crime, Bijay Sharma, the STF team searched first floor of the building at Nangamahala area of Bhadrak for two hours and pressed a sniffer dog into the job. Two of the arrested SIMI members - Zakir Hussain and Md Saleq - were also taken to the safe house.
During the search, the STF team found some “explosive” materials. The seizure included notes, SIMI magazine, Jihadi literature, two mobile phones, a dongle, pen drive and some wire. Sources informed that the notes were on explosive making techniques, improvised explosive device (IED), to be particular.
The Jihadi literature seized from the house contained “44 Ways of Waging Jihad” which could be an important piece of evidence to tie the SIMI operatives to terror and subversive plans and activities.
The team later found a laptop which the terror operatives had sold off locally. It was retrieved from the buyer. Contacted, Sharma confirmed that the STF has made important seizures. “The laptop, mobile phone, dongle and pen drive would be sent for examination,” he said. While the notes on bomb-making and Jihadi literature have drawn attention of the probe agency, it would soon engage software experts to retrieve data from the laptop, mobile phones, dongle as well as pen drive which the STF believe could provide significant information about their contacts and network.
The seven mobile phones which were seized during the search at Rourkela are also being examined. The call detail records and locations retrieved from mobile devices may provide important clues about footprints of the SIMI operatives who kept moving to Rourkela, Bhadrak, Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Kolkata, sources said. Police have also detained Tajul Khan alias Munu, landlord of the Nangamahala house. The five had introduced themselves as carpenters. The investigating agency is also quizzing him to ascertain if he had knowledge about identity of the five and their networks. Sources said STF suspects the SIMI agents attempted to create a base in Bhadrak.
Earlier in the day, the four SIMI agents - Mehboob, Amzad Khan, Md Saleq and Zakir - along with Nazma Biwi were shifted from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar on road amidst high security. They were housed at the Special Operation Group (SOG)’s Chandaka Training Complex where they were subjected to interrogation. Teams of Madhya Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad and Telangana Police are also joining the interrogation.