Hyderabad blast suspect held in fake passport case

The Special Investigation Cell of Hyderabad city police, which is investigating the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case, has said that Shoaib Jagirdar, who was arrested from Jalna in Maharashtra, is a close associate of Sameer, who is stated to be a member of Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

The SIC also announced on Saturday night that Shoaib has been arrested in a case under the Passport Act and is being produced before the magistrate.

It may be recalled that Shoaib was picked up from Jalna by the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Maharashtra police and a team from Hyderabad city police in a joint operation.

Initially, the ATS sources had claimed that he was suspected to have supplied the RDX used in the bomb blast in Mecca Masjid during Friday prayers on May 18.

The SIC said that Shoaib had visited Hyderabad in February 2007 and had stayed with Sameer in a house in the city to secure a fake passport for Sameer for "jihadi purpose."

One passport agent was contacted. "Thus, prima facie his (Shoaib's) complicity is established for attempting to procure a fake passport by furnishing fake documents and on fake address for jihadi purpose and also suspicious activity is noticed," the SIC said in a press statement.

Sameer alias Nayeem was earlier caught by West Bengal police while crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border alongwith three LeT cadres among whom two were Pakistanis and one was a Kashmiri.

Sameer was arrested in Crime Number 179/07 of Bangoon police station in 24 Parganas north district under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 121, 121 A, 122, 126 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 14 of Foreigners Act.

Sameer's name has also figured in the Aurangabad arms haul case. He is presently in judicial custody in Mumbai.

"There is a prima facie link between Shoaib Jagirdar and Sameer and between persons based in Kolkata," the SIC said.

"It is further revealed that Sameer had confessed that he along with Shoaib had visited Hyderabad in February 2007. As such further inquiries were done and it was found that Shoaib was present in Jalna. Upon inquiry, Shoaib disclosed that he is associated with Sameer and had visited Hyderabad in February 2007," the SIC added.