‘Islamic State plot’: Brothers taken to Bhavnagar where they tried to burn car

Brothers Vaseem and Naeem in Bhavnagar. Express

The Gujarat anti-terrorist squad (ATS) on Sunday took two brothers, accused of planning Islamic State-inspired attacks in the state, to a place in Bhavnagar where they had “attempted to set a car on fire”. A team of ATS, led by DySP Ramesh Faldu took Vaseem Ramodia (30) and his younger brother Naeem (27) to Bhavnagar in the morning. The duo were taken to Mahuva Line, Crescent and Shishoovihar areas of the city. “They had planned to set a car on fire in Mahuva Line. We took the accused on the spot and did a panchnama. They had planned to set a car on fire which had remained parked there for a long time,” Faldu, who is investigating officer of the case, told The Indian Express.

The duo were arrested by the ATS in the early hours of February 26. While Vaseem was arrested from his residence in Nehru Nagar area on Raiya Road of Rajkot, Naeem was picked up from his residence at Afrin Apartments in Bhagatalav area of Bhavagar city.

The ATS had been keeping track of the two brothers for at least one-and-a-half year before arresting them. The ATS alleged that the two brothers were in touch with a handler of the IS via social media and that they had tried to stage terrorist attacks in Rajkot, Bhavangar and Surendranagar districts. It also claimed that they had planned lone-wolf attack at goddess Chamunda temple in Chotila town of Surendranagar, attempted to set the car on fire in Bhavnagar and also tried to attack a shop in Rajkot.

The duo are in the custody of the ATS till March 10.