ATS offers help to released boys
Two Mohali-based college students’ attempts to sneakily get extra cellphone talk-time backfired terribly when the two were arrested as terror suspects due to possession of an unnaturally high number of SIM cards. The Maharashtra ATS picked them up from Mohali suspecting their role in July 13 bomb triple bomb blasts in Mumbai. Ironically, however, the boys’ families are claiming that the ATS, which has now let off the four suspects on bail, is now offering to speak to their college so that they are not suspended.
The Maharashtra ATS on January 1 had picked up four Muslim youths — Qamar Alam Sheikh, Abdul Wahab, Tanveer Alam and Mohd Ashraf. All of them are from Bihar and are students of Swami Parmananda College of Engineering, Mohali (Punjab). Mumbai ATS took Qamar Alam Sheikh and Abdul Wahab to Mumbai while Tanveer Alam and Mohd Ashraf were released on January 3, 2012.
The ATS had recovered 14 sim cards from the possession of Wahab and Qamar. While Wahab was pursuing his diploma in mechanical engineering, Qamar was a B.Tech student. The duo was released on bail on January 11 after the ATS did not object their release.
Though Wahab and Qamar were shown arrested in a case of forgery, their questioning for 15 days in ATS custody revolved around the triple July blasts. The ATS that grilled the duo on each and every call they made using the SIM cards has finally not only given them a clean chit by not pressing for their custody leading to their release on bail on Thursday. They have also promised to speak to college principals so that their academics are not affected.
Aftab Aam brother of Wahab said, “They were asked about each and every call they made from the SIM cards and the officers found out that most of the calls were made to known persons — either family members in Darbhanga in Bihar or to us in Mumbai.”
Aftab said that his brother Wahab was lured by offers made by mobile phone companies in Mohali for new connections. “For every fresh connection my brother was offered `400 free talktime plus some internet download usage.
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