Sustained interrogation of Yasin Bhatkal, chief of Indian Mujahideen’s India operations, has revealed that at least 25 to 30 terror modules of both IM and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba are currently active in the country. Bhatkal further disclosed that these modules are spread all across the country, with active support from sleeper cells, in urban areas in States including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat.
Sources said India’s most wanted terrorist also admitted that these “joint terror modules” of IM and LeT are armed with enough explosives to carryout massive damage. Though both the intelligence agencies and the National Investigation Agency have already sounded these States and conducted raids in several parts no concrete breakthrough has emerged yet.
Highly placed NIA sources said that it was possible Bhatkal was trying to mislead the investigating agency with the intention of protecting these terror modules as they might be planning to strike during the coming festive season. Intelligence agencies have been receiving specific inputs, independent of Bhatkal, that terror outfits were planning a major operation during the coming festive season.
Though Bhatkal’s information, intelligence sources added, on the existence of terror modules is correct but it seems he is deliberately giving wrong location to shield them. The NIA and intelligence agencies also feel that these terror modules may well have changed their location following Bhatkal’s arrest. During questioning Bhatkal also admitted that bulk of the explosives being smuggled into India were being sourced from Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence. Both the NIA and intelligence agencies will further step up their follow-up operations in the days to come.