Mumbai:
Is Naqqi Sheikh of Darbhanga in Bihar, arrested recently, an informer or a man who helped Indian Mujahideen mastermind Yasin Bhatkal allegedly set up the Mumbai triple blasts of July 13, 2011? It depends on who is telling the story.
Hours after the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in Maharashtra announced yesterday that it had arrested three men, including Naqqi Sheikh, for helping execute the trio of blasts in Mumbai, the Central government is believed to have pulled up ATS chief Rakesh Maria and sources said the Mumbai anti-terror team had not only picked up the wrong man, but had also blown a carefully launched covert operation to nab those involved in the terror attacks.
On July 13 last year, 27 people were killed and nearly 100 injured when bombs exploded in quick succession in Zaveri Bazaar, near Opera House and close to the Dadar area in the city centre. Yasin Bhatkal remains missing and it is now being alleged that Bhatkal was able to escape because of the indiscretion of the Mumbai ATS.
The excruciating embarrassment is exacerbated by the claim of the Delhi Police that Naqqi Sheikh is actually an informer for Central intelligence agencies. Sources in the home ministry, who do not want to be identified, said the announcements made in Mumbai were "premature and misleading."
Not so, say sources in Mumbai's ATS, launching a stout defence. They say their investigations show that Naqqi was actively involved in the Mumbai plot and the financial trail in it. That he allegedly helped Yasin Bhatkal recruit members in what is being called the Dharbhanga module of the Indian Mujahideen and that he allegedly ferried the explosives used in the blasts.
The Mumbai ATS sources also insist that Naqqi helped Yasin rent an apartment in south Mumbai where the 13/7 conspiracy was allegedly planned and hatched and that he provided other logistical support like helping two other men wanted in the case get jobs - one as a gym trainer, the other at a call centre. Forensic samples have been collected from the apartment and a detailed report is awaited, the sources said.
On Monday afternoon, Rakesh Maria held a press conference in Mumbai where he described in great detail the role played by Haroon Rashid Naik who was found in Mumbai, and Nadeem Akhtar and Naqqi Sheikh who were arrested from Bihar.
But the three men arrested played peripheral roles. And though Naqqi Sheikh was allegedly in close touch with Bhatkal for three months, during which period he was tailed by the Delhi Police, the leader of the Indian Mujahideen managed to slip away. He's not alone. Home Ministry sources say that the two bombers behind the attacks are Tabrez and Waqar, Pakistani nationals, who have managed to escape because of the rivalry and consequent lack of coordination between the Delhi and Mumbai police.
Sources say the Delhi Police tailed Naqqi for a long time; that they knew that the Pakistani nationals were in Mumbai. It is alleged that the police team, camping in Mumbai for over a month, stayed in a rented apartment right next to the safe house in south Mumbai, but failed to nab the terror accused.
Sources tell NDTV that the Maharashtra Police has claimed ignorance about Naqqi Sheikh cooperating with the investigators when pulled up by the Union Home Ministry on Monday. The Ministry of Home Affairs is likely to call for a meeting of state police organizations to ensure better coordination and also ensure that Central intelligences and state police organizations are on the same page when dealing with terror.
According to Mumbai Police officials, an angry Union Home Secretary R K Singh called up senior officials of the Mumbai police including Rakesh Maria. It is understood that Mr Singh not only expressed his concern but also conveyed the ministry's displeasure to the chief of the Anti-Terror Squad.