SIMI activist arrested in Belgaum

The Karnataka police arrested an activist of the Student's Islamic Movement of India in  Belgaum late on Wednesday night. The arrested person has been identified as Nasir Liyakat Patel.

This is the second arrest in less than a month's time in Belgaum. The police claim to have recovered hard disks and CDs, depicting bomb making techniques, from these activists The police are trying to find out whether Patel was planning to launch a terror attack in Karnataka.

According to the police, Patel, who has been remanded to police custody, was in constant touch with SIMI activists across the country. He had distributed these CDs to several youths and lured them into joining the banned outfit, said the police.

The Belgaum police say that this is the only information they have regarding Patel, a science graduate, and further investigations are on.

The Corps of Detectives probing the mushrooming terror network in Karnataka will have to find out Patel's connection with the other arrested accused in the state, including Yahya Kamakutty.

Kamakutty, who was arrested a few months back, provided the police with valuable information, which lead to the arrest of SIMI leader Safdar Nagori and his accomplices in Madhya Pradesh in March 2008.
 
The CoD has also managed to decode some of the emails sent by P A Shibli, the SIMI activist who was arrested in Indore recently. A senior police officer told rediff.com that Shibli was in constant touch with several techies in Bangalore.

According to the police, SIMI activists have started using the IT firms in the city as a safe cover. Investigations reveal that the main targets for SIMI activists are these IT firms, as an attack on any of these firms is likely to destabilise the economy.

According to the police, Shibli worked for a well known IT firm in Bangalore and during the course of his employment, he had managed to muster up support from several techies, who had sworn to help him in his cause.

The Karnataka police have now stepped up their vigil. They are closely monitoring the activities of some techies in Bangalore, who are believed to be SIMI sympathizers.