Terror operative reveals how men cross the border

Sheikh Nayeem, one of the men assigned the role of transporting men into India from across the border, was picked up by the West Bengal police four months prior to the Mecca Masjid blasts.

The investigations into the blasts revealed that Nayeem had helped four men enter India through Bangladesh to carry out the blasts. Nayeem, who underwent a narco analysis test at Bengaluru recently confirmed that he had transported the men in May 2007.

Nayeem, who according to the investigators has a lot of information on terror groups, was subject to a narco-analysis test thrice. Nayeem, a science graduate from Aurangabad, was first subject to a narco test by the Mumbai Anti Terrorist Squad and this was followed by a test conducted by the West Bengal police.

Nayeem got in touch with terror operatives during his college days and gradually he was handed over the responsibility of helping people cross over from across the border.

During the Bengaluru test, he revealed that the job of transporting persons into India had become tougher off late. Earlier they managed to push in men by bribing junior officers Rs 200 per man. He said they used to use rickshaws while getting into the country and managed it easily as officials were soft on illegal immigrants.

He said planning for the Mecca Masjid blasts was done in Pakistan and it was decided that men would be transported into India through Bangladesh. Nayeem, who refused to divulge the name of his boss during the test, said that the idea was to kill 20 Muslims so that this would lead to communal disharmony.

He said he had transported four Lashkar-e-Tayiba operatives into India. These men had come into Bangladesh from Pakistan with RDX. "I had to go to Bangladesh where my boss ordered me to transport these men along with the RDX. Once we entered India, I took them to Hyderabad where I introduced them to two locals who helped carry out the blasts. The bombs were assembled in Hyderabad," he said.

Nayeem, however, did not disclose any details regarding the whereabouts of the men. "My job ended once I transported them," he said during his test. "I never used to keep in touch with any of the men I transported."