Still in the dark

All eight 8220;played roles in a large conspiracy,8221; says the ATS. Yet three weeks after the first triumphant 8220;breakthrough8221; arrest, the remand applications of the accused say nothing about their roles, interlinks or associations with any particular outfit.

8220;The explosions were carried out in such a well-planned manner that there was no evidence at the blast sites to directly link the arrested accused with the blasts,8221; admits Joint Commissioner of Police, ATS, Krish Pal Raghuvanshi.

All in the Mind

IN the early days, there was little to show that investigations of Serial Blasts II would not quite go the way of Blasts Probe I. Ten days after the terror attack, the ATS announced its first arrests. Kamal Ahmed Ansari and Khalid Aziz Ronak Sheikh were picked up from Basupatti village in Bihar. Ansari8217;s brother-in-law Mumtaz Ahmed Choudhary was arrested the same day from Thurbe in Navi Mumbai.

All three were said to be members of the same module, and were charged with murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and under provisions of the Arms Act and the Indian Railways Act. The five others who were to be picked up later would face similar charges.

But three weeks later, none of the arrests has provided any lead worth following. Ask why, and ATS officers reply that their time-honoured interrogation tactics are cutting no ice with men indoctrinated with religious fanaticism.

Arrested once earlier in 2002 by the Delhi police for possessing an AK-47 assault rifle, Ansari has reportedly told his interrogators that he visited Pakistan for training in firearms and explosives.

In its remand application, the ATS states that Ansari 8220;has links with a banned terrorist organisation8221; and that he lured youths to 8220;similar training in Pakistan8217;8217;. It also says that he and Khalid Sheikh were picked up as they were unable to explain the presence of 1/2 kg of black powder in the Basupatti house. The ATS is yet to identify the powder; the results of the forensic tests are still awaited.

Ansari, as the key man in the Bihar unit, was the biggest catch for the ATS in the case till they picked up Faizal Ataur Rehman Sheikh, supposedly Lashkar-e-Toiba8217;s Mumbai chief. However, investigators are yet to prove any clear links between the two modules.

8220;They have all played roles in the conspiracy behind the blasts. We are working on the connections between the two modules. I am not at liberty to reveal anything further at this point of time,8221; Raghuvanshi told The Sunday Express.

Module Men

THE LeT module led by Faizal8212;supposed to be very close to LeT commander Azam Cheema8212;comprised his brother Muzamil, Tanvir Ahmed Ansari, Sohail Abdul Ghani Sheikh and Zamir Ahmed Latif Chaabiwala.

Faizal, who reportedly received hawala money regularly from Cheema through a Riyadh conduit named Rizwaan Ahmed Daude, is believed to have sponsored the other four for their training stints in Pakistan. They were picked up by the Mumbai police Crime Branch and later taken into custody by the ATS.

Their remand applications state that they admitted to having travelled clandestinely to Pakistan. At the international border, they were received by members of a banned terrorist organisation and escorted to training camps. They were taught to use firearms and explosive devices similar to the ones used in the serial blasts.

The application also states that they are members of a large network of like-minded people who assembled explosive devices and planted them on trains on 7/11. However, again there is nothing to directly link them to the blasts.

8220;It is not true that we stumbled upon the LeT Mumbai module after the blasts. After the blasts, we detained three people, who provided us important leads. Following these leads, we busted the module. Although they may not have any direct link with the blasts, we cannot discount the threat from such a module. Moreover, Faizal is a very important man, a close aide of Azam Cheema,8221; says Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Meeran Borwankar.

Close Call

ABOUT the only link that connects the two modules8212; and thereby Ansari and Faizal8212;is their dealings with the key suspects in the Aurangabad arms haul case. On May 10, the ATS busted an LeT module near Aurangabad and seized 43 kg of RDX, along with several Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades.

Following his arrest, ATS sources said that in 2003, Ansari had travelled to Pakistan via Nepal, where he met one Junaid, a key Lashkar operative in charge of the Aurangabad module.

Crime Branch sources claim that Faizal told interrogators he had sent Fayaz Kagdi8212;one of the most-wanted absconders in the Aurangabad case 8212; to Pakistan for training. It was Fayaz who had planted an explosive device aboard the Karnavati Express, which exploded at Ahmedabad railway station on February 19.

Faizal was also in regular touch with Grant Road resident and suspected Lashkar operative Raheel Abdul Rehman Sheikh, also allegedly involved in the Aurangabad arms haul case. Raheel is believed to have supplied fake passports to Lashkar operatives and procured visas on the basis of forged documents for travel to Pakistan via Iran.

Two for One

SIGNIFICANTLY, five of the eight arrests were made by the Crime Branch and then turned over to the ATS. Some quarters have expressed concern that the game of one-upmanship between these two police departments may hamper the progress of the case.

Prior to the blasts, the ATS was basking in the afterglow of the Aurangabad haul. After the Aurangabad module was busted, the Maharashtra government even announced large rewards for the ATS officers who led the operation. Interestingly, prior to the formation of the ATS two years ago, such a case would have been a shoo-in for the famed Mumbai police Crime Branch.

8220;This is rubbish. It is only the media that is making such allegations,8221; Mumbai DGP P S Pasricha reacts strongly to the charge of rivalry between police departments. 8220;There is not a semblance of truth in such claims. All departments are working together on the case.8221;

Explaining how the majority of arrests came to be made by the Crime Branch, Borwankar says, 8220;Our intelligence network is obviously stronger then that of the ATS. This is because the ATS was formed only two years ago, and it has limited resources and officers. The Crime Branch, however, has been functioning in the city for several decades now.8221;

8 IN THE NET

Kamal Ahmed Mohammed Vakil Ansari, 32

8226; Arrested from Basupatti village in Madhubani, Bihar, on July 21

8226; Booked for alleged involvement in blast at Jogeshwari railway station

8226; In possession of 1/2 kg black powder, which is yet to be identified

8226; Earlier arrested in 2002 by Delhi police for possessing an AK-47 assault rifle. Confessed to receiving terror training in Pakistan

8226; Police allege he was in touch with Nepal-based Lashkar commander Junaid

Khalid Aziz Ronak Aziz Sheikh, 24

8226; Arrested from Basupatti village in Madhubani, Bihar, on July 21

8226; Booked for alleged involvement in blast at Jogeshwari railway station

8226; In possession of 1/2 kg black powder, yet to be identified

Mumtaz Ahmed Maqbool Ahmed Choudhary, 38

8226; Urdu tutor, arrested from Navi Mumbai on July 21

8226; Booked for alleged involvement in blast at Jogeshwari railway station

8226; Police allege he was in contact with the 7/11 bomb-makers, provided local support

Dr Tanvir Mohammed Ansari, 32

8226; Unani practitioner, arrested from residence in Byculla, Mumbai, on July 24

8226; Police say he was involved in Sarojini Nagar blasts in Delhi on October 29, 2005, and Gopalganj church blasts on June 3, 2001

8226; Police claim he visited Pakistan for 40-day training in camps at Muzaffarabad and Bahawalpur, was involved in 7/11 conspiracy

Sheikh Sohail Mehmood, 38

8226; Faith-healer, arrested in Pune on July 26

8226; Allegedly trained in Pakistan to prepare explosive devices similar to ones used in 7/11

8226; Police claim he is part of the module that assembled and planted the devices on the trains, provided local logistical support

w Police say he also recruited youths for terrorist training

Zamir Ahmed Latif

Chaabiwala, 31

8226; Locksmith, arrested in Mumbai on July 26

8226; Allegedly trained in Pakistan to prepare explosive devices similar to ones used in 7/11

8226; Police claim he was part of the same module as Mehmood, also recruited youth for terrorist training.

Mohammed Faizal Ataur

Rehman Shaikh, 30

8226; Arrested in Mumbai on July 27

8226; Allegedly trained in Pakistan to prepare explosive devices like ones used in 7/11

8226; Worked with Sohail and Chaabiwala in assembling and planting devices

8226; Allegedly handled module, received funds from Middle-East for subversive activities, acted as LeT8217;s Mumbai chief

Muzamil Ataur Rehman

Shaikh, 22

8226; Software engineer, arrested in Mumbai on July 27

8226; Allegedly trained in Pakistan to prepare explosive devices like ones used in 7/11

8226; Worked with Sohail, Chaabiwala, Faizal in assembling and planting devices