Usmani stayed at niece’s home,told her he had come from Gulf

Usmani reportedly told Razia and the locals that he had recently returned from Saudi Arabia and wanted to buy a land for a shop in the area. Locals say he was a religious person and used to offer prayers five times a day. Out of the 2,500 people in the village,65 per cent are Muslims.

Usmani,who was arrested in September 2008 for allegedly supplying stolen vehicles to plant explosives for serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Surat in July 2008,had escaped from special MCOCA court in Mumbai where he was brought to attend a hearing last month.

Razia told The Indian Express that her brother Javed Noor-ul-Hasan Khan,who stays in Mumbai’s Azad Nagar slums,had come to her house with Usmani. He had identified Usmani as their ‘mamu’ and said he would stay with her for a few days.

“I could not recognise him because I got married when I was 12 and lost contact with my maternal relatives. He was staying at our house for the last 15 days. Most of the time he used to have his meals at a local hotel. I don’t know much about him,” said Razia.

Razia stays along with her husband Nizamuddin (24),two children and mother-in-law Jameela. Nizamuddin is a roadside vendor in Mumbai and had recently returned to the village,said Razia.

She added that on Saturday morning,a police team from Mumbai came to her house inquiring about Usmani and took away her husband. Usmani was not at home at that time. Nizamuddin,however,returned home the next day. “He told us about Usmani’s arrest. With this incident,we have learnt a big lesson,” said Razia.

Station Officer of Fakharpur police station,Kali Charan,said two inspectors from Mumbai police had come to him on Saturday and sought his help in tracing an accused. He had sent four constables with the team to help them. “The team brought Nizamuddin with them and questioned him about Usmani’s whereabouts. He was let go after Usmani was arrested,” Kali Charan said.

When contacted,Nizamuddin’s neighbour Lal Mohammad,said: “Javed introduced Usmani to villagers as their maternal uncle. He was clean shaven. Usmani used to say that he had recently returned from Saudi Arabia and was looking for a land to open a shop. He had also contacted some local property dealers.”

He added that Javed returned a few days after leaving Usmani at his sister’s house. “He had even promised a few villagers jobs in Saudi Arabia,” said Mohammad.

“Usmani had gained the confidence of the locals and mingled with them. He was also seen sitting with villagers at roadside tea stalls in the evening,” said village pradhan Zakir Ali.