To regroup, SIMI taking help of Kerala Maoists?

The outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India and the Maoists have recently conducted a secret meeting in Kottayam district of Kerala, according to highly placed sources in the Indian intelligence agencies.

The meeting was to formulate strategies for a joint action in Kerala. While both the groups had earlier met in Palakkad, this is the first time that such a meeting has taken place in central Kerala, sources pointed out.

Intelligence sleuths, who were tracking the movements of a couple who are allegedly leading the underground Maoist movement in Kerala, have found that SIMI activists were actually entering into some pact with the Maoists. The intelligence agencies are trying to find out as to what sort of understanding the two groups have.

The view which is predominant among the intelligence officials is that the Maoist groups may be using the financial resources of SIMI.

In return they are providing safe halting places for the SIMI operators who arrive in Kerala from other parts of the country. With decades of underground activities, the Maoist groups are more familiar with stealth operations than SIMI operatives and this could be the major point of connection between the two.

The SIMI is, according to sources, planning for some major terror operations in India and wishes to use Kerala as a safe haven.

Sources in the intelligence agencies are also of the opinion that several highly qualified youngsters drawn from different campuses across Kerala have joined Maoist movement in the state.

The husband-wife duo who is allegedly heading the Maoist operation in Kerala is, according to intelligence sources, planning to conduct an overview of how things could be operated upon.

A top source in the state intelligence wing of the Kerala police while speaking to rediff.com on conditions of strict anonymity said, "The police is gearing up for any eventuality and several people who have showed leaning to these groups are under our scanner."