1 held in Pandya case; crackdown on ISI men

The CBI has arrested another accused in connection with BJP leader Haren Pandya's murder even as the Hyderabad police picked up a dozen persons since Thursday night after launching a major crackdown on suspected ISI-sponsored modules.

A CBI team, with the help of the Cyberabad police, arrested Mohammed Shafi, a close associate of Asghar Ali (the prime accused in the Pandya murder case), from his hideout at Jeedimetla on the city's outskirts.

The police produced Shafi before the Medchal judicial first class magistrate, who granted a transit warrant to enable the CBI to take him to Delhi. 

Shafi, who hails from Nalgonda, is a rowdy-sheeter and an accused in nine cases, including two attempt-to-murder cases. 

Police said he was part of a hit team assembled by Asghar Ali to target BJP and VHP leaders in Gujarat, including VHP vice-president Pravin Togadia.

He was allegedly involved in the attempt on the life of VHP Bapunagar unit vice-president Jagdish Tiwari in Ahmedabad on March 11.

Tiwari was shot at his drug store with a country-made pistol by two assailants, but he survived with two bullet wounds. 

Police claim Shafi had close links with Pakistan's ISI and had received training in the use of explosives in Pakistan.

The CBI has taken another suspect, Noor Mohammed, who hails from Nalgonda, into custody.

Noor is also believed to have undergone training in sabotage activities in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad city police, along with the Counter-Intelligence Wing, on Thursday and Friday night picked up a dozen youth from different parts of the twin cities suspecting them to be part of ISI-sponsored modules.

Police suspect they have visited Pakistan for training in subversive activities and were recruited by the ISI to target prominent leaders and foment communal violence.

M A Rauf, one of the accused in the Pandya murder case, reportedly recruited them. He is considered to be the kingpin of the ISI in the city.

The arrested youth include brothers Syed Mubashar Hussain (an air cooler mechanic) and Syed Aijaz Hussain (a computer science student), Mohammed Wajid and Zubairullah Sharif.

Some of them had been to Hong Kong and Bangkok while others had been to Dubai.

They are high school or college dropouts and jobless and Rauf is believed to have lured them by promising jobs abroad, mainly in Gulf countries.

Police suspect these youth had recently returned to India after visiting Pakistan for training in the use of arms and militant activities.

Rauf is close to politicians and is into the real estate business to cover up his real activities, police claim.

After a stint in the Telugu Desam Party, he unsuccessfully contested the municipal elections in Hyderabad in 2002 from the Akbarbagh division on a Majlis-e-Ittehaadul Muslimeen ticket, they said.