When one force put a spanner in another’s works

A Delhi police team,who brought businessman Naquee Ahmed with them,arrived in Mumbai in the second week of December and began camping in the city. The team was confident that while Waqas and Tabrez had left,Yasin would return to collect the deposit from the landlady,Rubina Qureshi. The Delhi police were relying on Naquee to alert them whenever Yasin arrived. Naquee hails from Darbhanga and was a neighbour of Yasin’s in-laws in Delhi.

Putting a spanner in the works,however,the Maharashtra ATS arrested Naquee on January 7,2012,in a fake SIM card racket,and even summoned landlady for questioning. This,the Special Cell complained,botched the operation as Yasin was alerted and chose not to return.

The ATS,however,claims Yasin had never stayed at the Habib Mansion room. According to the ATS,Yasin and his wife Zahida reached Mumbai on July 12,2011 — the day before the blasts — and left after the bombs were planted the following day. Wanted accused Waqas and Tabrez had stayed in the room,the ATS said.

In a supplementary chargesheet filed in the 13/7 blasts case in August last year,the ATS declared that Naquee Ahmed and Nadeem Akhtar along with ‘wanted accused’ had stayed in the rental room No. 53 at Habib Mansion,third floor,Byculla,and that the bombs were assembled there.

The room in Habib Mansion was also minutely examined and DNA samples were sent for examination to the Forensic Science Laboratory,Kalina,Mumbai.

Following his arrest,Naquee’s family alleged that he was a police informer for the Delhi police and had been wrongly shown as an accused by their Maharashtra counterparts. According to the Maharashtra ATS,however,Naquee was involved in a racket of procuring fake SIM cards that were used by IM members in Bihar and Delhi. The ATS also alleged that Naquee assisted Yasin in scouting for a hideout and also transporting money. Naquee was subsequently booked for his alleged role in the 13/7 serial blasts case.