Intelligence agencies in a classified report submitted to the Union home ministry on Friday have cautioned that dreaded terror outfit Indian Mujahideen is on a “comeback trail in the country and has already started activating its network in Maharashtra and Karnataka.’’
Incidentally, the classified report, details of which have been accessed by this newspaper, comes close on the heels of serial bombings in Pune in which Indian Mujahideen is a prime suspect. The Intelligence Bureau has also stressed on the need for sensitising the Crime Branch and Special Branch of all state police as well on the revival of Indian Mujahideen.
The report warns that the Pune bombings should be treated as a “wake up call.’’ “The Indian Mujahideen and Simi have a formidable network in both Maharashtra and Karnataka and there is specific source based information that the network is being activated once again. They have started recruiting fresh operatives in these States as well,” the report goes on to add.
The Indian Mujahideen had suffered serious reverses in November last year when some of its key operatives were arrested in a joint operation by the Intelligence Bureau and Delhi police’s special cell. Most of those arrested belonged to what is now known as the Darbhanga module of Indian Mujahideen. “After that crack down the Indian Mujahideen has started regrouping and have started their activities again,” a senior intelligence official said. Investigating agencies, sources added, will be questioning key Indian Mujahideen operatives lodged in a number of jails across the country to ascertain if they can get some leads into the Pune bombings. Sources said the Mumbai ATS and Crime Branch, which is questioning Lashkar-e-Tayyaba militant Abu Jundal, has also quizzed him in this regard as Jundal has tremendous information of Lashkar and Indian Mujhaideen operations.
Importantly, the intelligence agencies have informed the Government that there was a “high probability” that if it was indeed an Indian Mujahideen module behind the Pune blasts it might well strike again over the next few weeks.