Is Indian Mujahideen actually the Asif Reza commando force?

Incidentally, a Kolkata team had visited Delhi after the recent arrest of five IM members in the Capital in connection with the serial blasts in Delhi, UP courts, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

Delhi Police sources say that after Asif was killed and one of ARCF8217;s main leaders, Aftab Ansari, was arrested for the Kolkata attack, the outfit vanished. However, Amir kept shuttling between Bangladesh and Pakistan and was allegedly approached by the Lashkar for attacks in India.

8220;He formed the Indian Mujahideen sometime in 2005. He had approached the Jaish and Harkat-ul-Jehadi-e-Islami HuJI earlier for support. The Lashkar helped him and SIMI and HuJI were asked to give him logistical and operational help,8221; says Karnal Singh.

Officials add that Amir in turn contacted Riyaz Bhatkal, Atif Ameen and Mohammad Sadiq 8212; believed to be the main guys behind the recent terror attacks in the country 8212; and they reportedly all received training in Pakistan. 8220;They then formed this group called the IM and the Lashkar helped them,8221; said an official. Police believe the IM also has the support of Jaish.

According to sources, raised sometime in December 2001, the ARCF originally was a marginal group and operated in an area populated by illegal migrants from Bangladesh near Habibpur, along the Indo-Bangladesh border, in the Malda district of West Bengal.

HuJI leaders, who had reportedly crossed over to Malda from Bangladesh in December 2001 to meet certain maulvis and SIMI cadres to create an affiliate of the HuJI, are believed to have lent some of its experienced men to the ARCF.

Aftab Ansari and Asif were among the main leaders of the ARCF. Asif and a Pakistani accomplice, Arshad Khan, were arrested in New Delhi on October 29, 2001. Just over a month later, on December 7, Asif was killed at Rajkot while reportedly trying to escape from police custody.

In November 2001, a large consignment of arms and ammunition, including 14 kg RDX, was seized from Gujarat8217;s Patan district, and Ansari was believed to have financed it. He was arrested a day after the American Center attack in Kolkata by the UAE authorities and deported to India on February 9, 2002.

The ARCF is believed to have raised some of its funds initially through kidnappings in Varanasi, Surat and Kolkata. including the famous one of businessman Partha Pratim Roy Barman in Kolkata in July 2001. He was released after reportedly paying a ransom amount of Rs 3.75 crore in Dubai through the hawala network.

The modules

Officials say the IM, formed in 2005 under Amir Reza Khan8217;s leadership, has three modules 8212; North India module, South India module and a fidayeen module. The recent arrests by the Delhi and Mumbai Police are believed to have busted the North India module. The module is believed to have had 14 members who were part of the operations directly, apart from others who are at large.

The second module is based in South India. While its members haven8217;t been traced, interrogations reportedly indicate that it has more than 15 members.

The third module is said to comprise around 10 fidayeen attackers, present in important cities which are on the hit-list of the LeT.

TheIR aim

The target at the time of the IM8217;s formation was to carry out some 200 blasts all over India. With neither Amir Reza Khan nor Riyaz Bhatkal in its custody, and another kingpin Atif dead, police have little idea what the IM may be planning next. 8220;They carried out blasts every two months. The group was very confident that they would not be caught,8221; said an officer. Delhi Police Special Cell chief Karnal Singh adds that it was Atif who made video clips after every blast whether Uttar Pradesh courts, Delhi, Jaipur or Ahmedabad and forwarded it to someone else to mail it.

Police suspect the IM collected all the explosives in Karnataka and made bombs in bulk.