The other catch

Alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi,who was arrested with Yasin Bhatkal,is an Azamgarh resident who has been on the run since September 20,2008,when the Delhi Special Cell announced his name as an IM operative after Batla House encounter on September 19.

A resident of Ghulami ka Pura locality in Azamgarh and son of an orthopaedic surgeon,Asadullah allegedly played an active role in triggering blasts at the Zaveri Bazaar,Opera House and Dadar in Mumbai on July 13,2011,and later at Junglee Maharaj Road in Pune on August 1,2012. Asadullah was also wanted for the 2008,Ahmedabad serial blasts. He was allegedly seen in CCTV footage from one of the Mumbai blast sites,while a Pune eyewitness identified his photograph as that of a man he had seen parking the bicycle with the bomb.

Asadullah joined IM in 2006 after he came in contact with Sajid Sheikh and Dr Shahnawaz of Azamgarh who were key IM leaders in India then. He was a constant companion on Yasin Bhatkal’s tours before he shifted to Nepal blast last year.