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6 more held in Red Fort attack case

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Ashok Chand told UNI that the contacts of the Pakistan-based militant group -- Babar Mohsin Bagwala, Devinder Singh and Shahanshan Alam - were arrested from Jama Masjid, New Friends Colony and Ghaziabad early Thursday.

Delhi Police investigations had revealed that Rs 3.5 million had been deposited by Lashkar militant Ashfaq Ahmed, who was arrested by the special cell on December 25 night, in the accounts of hawala operators in Srinagar. This information led to the arrest of hawala dealers Farooq Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed and Maqbool Ahmed.

With this, the arrests in the case have gone up to seven and police say more arrests are likely.

Lashkar militant Abu Shamal who along with gang members Ashfaq Ahmed and four others participated in the attack at the 7 Rajputana Rifles camp at Red Fort was killed by the police in an encounter on December 26.

Chand said the arrests of the six had been made following disclosures by Ashfaq Ahmed, who is in police custody. Babar has been arrested for harbouring Ashfaq and arranging accommodation for him through Younis and Azam Malik in Zakir Nagar, Okhla, South Delhi.

Devinder Singh, the proprietor of Seven Star Motor Driving School, was arrested for arranging a driving licence for Ashfaq, a Pakistani. The third to be arrested in the capital is Shahanshan Alam, a tout operating at the regional transport office in Ghaziabad, from where the driving licence was procured.

The RTO's role is being investigated. Ashfaq had paid Rs 2000 for obtaining the licence.

The Pakistani's interrogation had revealed that he obtained a driving licence and an Indian passport. It was only after this that the police launched an investigation into this aspect.

Chand said Ashfaq disclosed that he was receiving money through hawala transactions for financing terrorist activities. A major chunk of the money received from hawala transactions was deposited directly by Ashfaq in the Srinagar bank accounts of Farooq Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed (owner of Nazir and Sons) and Bilal Ahmed Kawa through the Delhi branches of Standard Chartered Grindlays Bank at Connaught Place and New Friends Colony.

The police are on the lookout for the other Lashkar militants who were involved in the attack -- Bilal Ahmed, Abu Haider, Abu Saad and Abu Shaker. It has released computer-generated identikits.

The senior police official said Ashfaq during questioning had also said he had been directed by associates Abu Bilal and Abu Haider that on reaching Delhi he should contact Babar at Jama Masjid, who provided him shelter at his residence, though for a short period.

Babar subsequently arranged for accommodation for the Lashkar terrorist in Zakir Nagar in Okhla through local residents Yunus and Azam Malik. He knew that Ashfaq was a Pakistani and a Lashkar operative, who had come to the capital for setting up a base for the terrorist group.

On interrogation, Babar (30) disclosed that he was a Jamia Milia graduate who had worked briefly for Noida-based Daewoo Motors. He revealed that his cousin Yawar Khan, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, had been shot dead by security forces in Srinagar. Babar has connections in Pakistan and Srinagar.

Ashfaq told the police that he procured the driving licence from the RTO, Ghaziabad by providing a fake address of Kela Batha, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. He contacted Devinder Singh and paid him Rs 2000.

Devinder Singh disclosed that through Rajiv Malhotra of Gaziabad he contacted Shahanshan Alam.

Three people, including two army personnel, were killed when the Lashkar terrorists sneaked into the Red Fort during a light and sound programme in the evening and two of them after the show attacked the Rajputana camp on December 22.

Subsequent investigations had hinted at a larger Pakistani conspiracy to create violence in the capital.

UNI

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