Man caught for terror blasts sent to police custody

NEW DELHI - A suspected Indian Mujahieedin (IM) terrorist, arrested in Uttar Pradesh, was Sunday sent to eight days’ custody of the Delhi Police after he was brought to Delhi to investigate bomb blasts across the country.

A team of Delhi Police Special Cell brought Salman Ahmad alias Chhotu, 21, to the national capital from Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharth Nagar district on a transit remand. He was presented in the Tis Hazari district court where Duty Magistrate Ajay Garg sent him to police custody till March 15.

The Special Cell sought his custody for 10 days to interrogate him about the various blasts across the country in the past four years and also to learn more about the IM network. The court, however, granted the police eight-day custody.

Ahmad, resident of Sanajarpur town in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district, was arrested Friday by a team of Uttar Pradesh’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). He was Saturday handed over to a team of Delhi Police on the directions of a special court.

Police suspect that Ahmad was involved in a number of serial blasts in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Delhi. Delhi Police had announced a reward of Rs.100,000 for his capture.

According to police, Ahmad had gone to Pakistan to receive terrorist training at a camp.

“He reached Pakistan Dec 12, 2009, on a fake passport, which he managed to procure during his stay in Nepal, to attend a terrorist training camp there. After the training, he returned to Nepal Jan 22, 2010,” a police officer said.

“In the camp, he learnt to make bombs and operate several sophisticated firearms, including AK-47s,” the official added.

Entrusted by his handlers in Pakistan with the task of strengthening the Indian Mujaheedin network in Uttar Pradesh, Chhotu lived at several places in Uttar Pradesh, Nepal and Bihar, ATS officials said.