NEWS

Bangalore police investigating trio's links

By Vicky Nanjappa in Bangalore
July 09, 2007 16:27 IST
The Bangalore police, which is probing the Bangalore angle to the British terror plot, is now examining the fundamentalist leanings of Dr Sabeel Ahmed, his brother Kafeel and his cousin, Dr Haneef Mohammad.

Investigating agencies claimed a hard disk, which was taken from Kafeel's home in Bangalore, contained information relating to the manufacture of explosives. The agencies claim they also recovered copies of speeches of indoctrination and of extreme views of Islamic leaders from Kafeel's room.

Police Commissioner N Achuth Rao said all possible angles are being looked into. "We are questioning friends and associates of the trio, apart from their family members," he said.

A senior police officer said teams are also camping in Davangere, where Kafeel studied, and Mudigere, Haneef's home town, to get more information regarding the activities of the men.

Apart from this, the police is also checking if Kafeel had done any groundwork for the British attacks during his recent stay in Bangalore.

Meanwhile, sources said the city Crime Branch is looking into a possible Pakistan angle to the terror plot. The Crime Branch, however, refused to divulge any information, stating it is too early to come to any sort of conclusion.

The Bangalore angle to the London terror episode has also put the Anti Terrorist Cell back on its feet. Springing into action, the ATC has classified the state into two zones -- Category I, requiring a higher degree of surveillance, and II.

ATC officers say terror organisations and fundamentalists have made Karnataka a sleeping module. Areas where the problem is most acute, and which are targeted by troublemakers in Pakistan and Bangladesh, have been brought under Category I, like Bangalore city, the state's coastal regions, Gulbarga etc.

The episode has also raised questions over a possible intelligence failure. Some police offers say the intelligence wing was unaware about the antecedents of the threesome, although they had visited Bangalore several times before the Glasgow incident.

Intelligence officers blame the lack of infrastructure provided to their department. "The staff is given a mobile allowance of just Rs 500 a month, and two proposals to strengthen the wing have not got clearance from the government as yet," rued an officer.

A proposal to appoint a constable in every taluk and also to create a separate cadre for the intelligence wing has not seen the light of the day. Intelligence officials say a separate cadre is the need of the hour so that the officials stay on for longer durations at the wing.

Vicky Nanjappa in Bangalore

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