Maharashtra (Islamist/Other Conflicts): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2013

ATS told the court on January 1, that the conspiracy to cause serial bomb blasts on Jangli Maharaj Road was hatched by the seven arrested suspects in Saudi Arabia, reports The Times of India. The ATS said the custodial interrogation of the suspects, revealed that they were constantly in touch with the absconding suspects, Fayyaz Kagzi, Riyaz Bhatkal and three others involved in a string of terror attacks in India so far. Investigations also revealed that one of the absconding suspects is a militant of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and he is involved in inciting youths from Aurangabad, Beed and Ahmednagar (three District of Maharashtra) to indulge in terror activities. LeT had trained the absconders to assemble bombs. Read less...

The court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S.S. Bose on January 1, extended Police custody of suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) militants and seven accused arrested in the Jangli Maharaj Road blasts case in Pune of Maharashtra (August 1, 2012), till January 8, 2013, according to Pune Mirror. Five suspects are still at large. Ten teams, set up by the state Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS), claimed to have recovered 18 different articles from the suspects’ custody, including four CPUs, Indian passports, a chit with a secret email ID on it, four live cartridges, an electronic detonator, a battery, an alarm clock and two gelatin sticks among others. Earlier on December 20, 2012 ATS obtained the custody of four suspects Asad Khan Jamshed Ali Khan, Imran Khan Wajid Khan Pathan, Feroz alias Hamza Abdul Hamid Syed and Irfan Mustapha Landge. Later on December 27, ATS obtained custody of three more suspects, including Munib Iqbal Memon, Faruk Shaukat Bagwan and Sayyed Arif alias Kashif Sayyed Zafaruddin Biyabani. Read less...

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on January 5 summoned Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act MCOCA against the seven suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) militants arrested in the 2012 Pune (Maharashtra) serial blasts of August 1, according to dnainadia.com. "We have invoked MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) in the case," Maharashtra ATS Chief Rakesh Maria said. The ATS, in its plea, has given names of seven arrested persons along with five others who it alleges to be the masterminds. Read less...

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on January 5 formally arrested key accused in February 18, 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, Lokesh Sharma, in connection with the September 8, 2006 Malegaon (Nashik District of Maharashtra) bomb blasts case, according to The Times of India. Sharma, who is already under judicial custody, was produced before a special court in Mumbai (Maharashtra), which remanded him in NIA custody till January 19, 2013 Police said. "Sharma was produced before the court which remanded him in NIA custody till January 19", said special NIA Prosecutor Rohini Salian. Read less...

A trial court has dismissed the bail plea of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist and November 26, 2008 (26/11) Mumbai (Maharashtra) attack key handler Abu Jundal, The Times of India reported on January 8. In an in court proceeding, District Judge I.S. Mehta allowed the application of National Investigation Agency (NIA), which sought extension of probe time up to 180 days, saying the articles alleged to have been recovered from Jundal is sensitive to "the issue of national security," the court sources said. The NIA had also sought extension of Jundal's judicial custody saying its investigation is in progress and it could not disclose its details due to security reasons and the court could see the same in the case diary. Read less...

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police said, in the draft charges filed in the May 8, 2006 Aurangabad (Maharashtra) arms haul case against Lashkar-e-toiba (LeT) ‘operative’ and key November 26, 2008 (26/11) terror attack handler Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, along with the other 21 accused, have been involved in terrorist activities right from 1996, The Times of India reports on January 10. The draft charges that have been submitted to the court propose that the court charge Jundal under different sections of Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Explosives Substances Act and Indian Penal Code. Jundal, who is presently lodged in Tihar Jail (New Delhi), was on January 9, produced in the court through video conferencing. Read less...

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on January 13 made the eighth arrest in the six low-intensity blasts at Pune’s (Maharashtra) Jungli Maharaj Road on August 1, 2012, reports Hindustan Times. Aslam Jahagirdar alias Bunty, was arrested from an unspecified place, for allegedly supplying weapons to Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives. Jahagirdar was produced before a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on January 14 and was remanded in Police custody till January 24. Read less...

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) authority probing blasts in Malegaon in Maharashtra (September 8, 2006 and September 29, 2008), Samjhauta Express (February 18, 2007) and Mecca Masjid at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh (May 18, 2007), was given a 12-month extension, till December 31, 2013, The Times of India reported on January 15. An unnamed Union official said, "Since the agency can move home ministry [Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)] any day to get sanction against the four arrested persons, the Centre prefers to give an extension to the existing authority. Had the ministry sought to set up a new authority, the procedures would have taken time". Read less...

Mumbai Police arrested two persons, identified as Farooq Naiku and Mohammed Talukdar, suspected to be linked with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) from a guest house at Masjid Bunder in Mumbai (Greater Bombay District) along with Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) worth INR 27, 200 on January 16, reports Indian Express. They were produced before a local court the next day and remanded in Police custody till January 23, 2013. During interrogation of the accused, it was revealed that Farooq was an active HM militant and he along with Mohammed were actively involved in FICN circulation, narcotics trade, hawala (illegal money transfer) and terror activities. They had also carried out recce of various vital installations across the country. Farooq has been to Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) via Wagah border in Amritsar (Punjab) on several occasions since 2001 form training. Officially, he has crossed the Indo-Pak border three times. Farooq had been reporting to a HM "commander" in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and also took part in the agitation over the Amarnath land transfer controversy in the state in the year 2008, Police added. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy said, "We have evidence that he has photographed Uri Dam, Uri power project, Baramulla Bridge and graves of terrorists killed during operations by security forces… He had even attempted to infiltrate into the Indian Army”. Farooq has been tasked with gathering information related to Indian troops' movements in J&K, public protests and other developments. He passed on the information either through telephonic conversations, mails or by crossing the border, to his Pakistani handlers and intelligence agencies. The second accused Talukdar, who hails from Assam, is also suspected to be an active member of the terror outfit and had been helping Farooq in FICN operations. "We are ascertaining Talukdar role in detail," Roy said, adding Police were trying to find out if the accused had played any role in violence in Azad Maidan (Mumbai) on August 11, 2012. Read less...

A local court in Mumbai (Maharashtra) has transferred the case of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal to a sessions court, paving the way for the beginning of a trial against him in the November 26, 2008 (26/11) Mumbai terror attacks case, NDTV reports on January 22. According to Police, Jundal, a resident of Beed District in Maharashtra, was present in the makeshift control room in Pakistan and gave instructions to ten Pakistani terrorists, including recently executed Ajmal Kasab, involved in the 26/11 attacks. The Crime Branch had filed a 14,676-page chargesheet in Mumbai’s Esplanade court against Jundal mentioning in detail the role of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and LeT operatives before, during and after the attacks. The charge sheet also contains the Jundal’s confessional statement made before a magistrate, besides the details of his confrontation with Ajmal Kasab. According to Crime Branch, Jundal had revealed that LeT training camps enjoyed full support from local and Federal Police and paramilitary organisations in Pakistan. fLeT Read less...

The newly set up branch of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Mumbai (Maharashtra), will continue to investigate terrorism cases related to Pune (Pune District), said Union minister of State for Home, R P N Singh, The Times of India reports on January 24. The NIA is already investigating cases against militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Indian Mujahidden (IM). Read less...

Two suspected Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants arrested earlier on January 16, from Mumbai (Maharashtra) were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), on January 23, reports Zee News. An investigating officer said, "Though we have the names of Pakistani intelligence officers whom Farooq met, it is not appropriate to disclose the details at this stage." Further, Hindustan Times revealed that Crime branch sources said Farooq recruited more than six youngsters, who are now engaged in espionage. Naiku himself used to do spy work before he fled the Valley in 2008. The young boys, sources said, were in regular touch with Naiku through Internet and fed regular updates and photos of troop movement and other counter-insurgency operations (including encounters) in four Districts of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)- Poonch, Baramula, Rajouri and Uri that the terror group has focused on. The name of a former Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) from Mumbai cropped up during the investigation, reports The Asian Age. This former Policeman partly owns the Relax Guest House, where he employed one of the two accused as the manager. The investigators are verifying his association with the accused. Read less...

Police on January 28 arrested Marikul alias Luttu Hazruddin Shaikh (29) and Mustafa Kismat Shaikh (40), both hailing from West Bengal, for allegedly possessing Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) worth a face value of INR 300,000 from Kherwadi in Bandra locality of Mumbai Suburban District, reports Business Standard. The duo, according to the Police, procured the FICN from their accomplice Aalam alias Aalamgir Shaikh, who is hiding in Kolkata (Kolkata District). The accused were produced before a local court which remanded them in police custody till February 8. Read less...

The Mumbai Crime Branch claims to have identified the Pakistan-based handler of arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) spy Faroquee Ahmed Gulam Naiku and has stepped up efforts to issue a Red Corner Notice for his arrest, Hindustan Times reports on January 31. An unnamed senior Crime Branch official said, “He is a very high-ranking Hizbul commander and a key player in the terrorist group’s anti-India operations”, adding that HM ‘commander’ looks after the media wing of the terror group. Read less...