The information provided by the last India Mujahideen operative to be arrested has been ignored by the Union home ministry. Though both the Central and state governments maintained there have been no intelligence inputs on any fresh terror attacks, Salman, alias Chotu, an IM operative arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS, had revealed the IM’s plans to strike Mumbai soon. He had also said during interrogation that the IM was regrouping in order to strike in different places, including Mumbai.
Though the Mumbai police was noncommittal regarding the outfit involved in the blasts, the Intelligence Bureau strongly believes that this could very much be the handiwork of IM operative Abdul Subhan Qureshi, alias Tauqeer. IB sources say they see the signature of Tauqeer, of Mumbai’s Mira Road, in the blast.
According to a senior official attached to the UP ATS, Salman had revealed that IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal had given him clear instructions to start recruiting afresh as he wanted to strike Mumbai as soon as possible. A source said that as most of the IM operatives had been arrested by the Ahmedabad and Mumbai police for their alleged role in the Ahmedabad blasts, Bhatkal wanted to recruit new operatives. “Salman met Bhatkal somewhere outside India even after the blasts conducted by IM in 2008. During this meeting he was told not only to recruit new cadres, but also to train them,” said sources. “On the instructions of Bhatkal, Salman sneaked into India via the Nepal border and recruitment was on his priority list,” said a source
The source added that Bhatkal had told Salman to make it amply clear to the new recruits that he wanted to strike Mumbai as soon as possible.
Tauqeer had successfully carried out bomb attacks in Ahmedabad, New Delhi and Jaipur in 2008. Tauqeer is an explosives expert who also handles the financial wing of the IM and has on the run since 2008. “It is not clear whether Tauqeer had fled the country, like the Bhatkal brothers, but he is currently looking after the Indian module of the IM,” said an IB source, adding, “As the pattern of the attack points towards IM and the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba at present, it is very likely that Tauqeer may have masterminded the attack.”