Author: Statesman News Service
Publication: The Statesman
Date: November 30, 2011
URL: http://thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=391851&catid=73
Two out of six members of Indian Mujahideen
(IM), who were arrested by Delhi Police from various parts of the country
in the past few days, had a stay in Kolkata for a brief period, almost a year
ago.
Sources in the city police's Special Task
Force (STF) claim that the terrorists ~ Md Siqqiqui and Zafar ~ who were arrested
from Delhi for their alleged involvement in several blast cases in Delhi,
the German Bakery Case in Pune, Chinnaswamy Stadium case in Bangalore and
the Jama Masjid shooting case, had stayed in the city last year.
Officers of the STF were in search of the
duo and the Delhi Police had reportedly taken help of the city police's STF
to arrest the terrorists. A team comprising senior officers of the city police
went to Delhi and held a meeting with the senior officers of the Delhi Police
in this regard.
A senior police officer said that the duo
had stayed in Metiabruz and they used to keep changing their hideouts after
every three to four days.
Police came to know about their stay in the
city later and initiated a search for them. After getting a tip-off from various
sources, STF officers had raided various hideouts and collected information
on them. Based on the information, officers of the city police's STF had almost
tracked them down at least twice earlier. However, the criminals managed to
give police the slip.
Sources said that another IM member, Imran,
who is still at large, had allegedly planted bomb in a car outside Delhi's
Jama Masjid on 19 September 2010 and provided financial assistance to his
counterparts in the country. Imran had stayed in central Kolkata. A section
of police officers believes that the members of IM and other terrorist outfits
use the state as a corridor and they try to strengthen their network in the
city and its suburbs during their stay. Police are also trying to find out
whether these terrorists have connection with any person or organisation in
the city.