Vicky Nanjappa
Who calls the shots in the Indian Mujahideen after the arrest of its key operative Yasin Bhatkal? Vicky Nanjappa finds out
The Indian Mujahideen suffered a major blow with the arrest of its tallest leader Yasin Bhatkal and his close aide in Assadullah Akthar in August. The terror group may be down but is certainly not out. Sunday’s deadly blasts in Patna are proof of that.
Sources in the Intelligence Bureau suspect that the Indian Mujahideen were involved in the serial blasts that left six dead and over 80 injured that coincided with the rally of Narendra Modi.
So how does an outfit without Yasin Bhatkal on top breach security and create terror even today?
The think tank of the IM is based in Pakistan while the ground-level operatives who carry out the attacks are spread across India.
After questioning Bhatkal and Akthar for nearly 300 hours, the National Investigation Agency has got an insight into the new structure of the IM and how it functions.
The known names to crop up are those of Yasin’s cousins Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and Amir Reza Khan. But there is a strong “chain of command”, which helps them call the shots making the outfit a lethal one.
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MOST WANTED: Indian Mujahideen's top 15 operatives
Vicky Nanjappa
Here’s a look at the 15 top IM operatives that pose a danger to India:
Riyaz Bhatkal
Role: He is one of the deadliest IM operatives, who was part of the team that set up the terror outfit. He roped Yasin into the outfit and nurtured him.
Where is he today? He is based in Pakistan.
Iqbal Bhatkal
Role: The brother of Riyaz Bhatkal, he is a founder member of the IM. He takes some of the key decisions in the outfit.
Where is he today? He operates from Pakistan.
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MOST WANTED: Indian Mujahideen's top 15 operatives
Photographs: Reuters Vicky Nanjappa
Amir Reza Khan
Role: He is another founder member of the IM. He masterminded operations that the outfit carried out in West Bengal. He is part of the think tank that plans the attacks.
Where is he today? He works out of Pakistan.
Mohsin Choudhary
Role: A founder member of the IM, he functions as a coordinator between the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the IM. His job his to ensure that the IM and Lashkar operatives work in tandem in India.
Where is he today? He coordinates operations from Pakistan.
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MOST WANTED: Indian Mujahideen's top 15 operatives
Photographs: Reuters Vicky Nanjappa
Arif Zarar
Role: He was part of the team that carried out the serial blasts in Delhi on September 13, 2008, which left 30 people dead and over 100 injured. Zarar was present at the Batla House during an encounter on September 19, but managed to give police the slip.
Where is he today? Sources say he is holed up in Nepal. His role is to facilitate the movement of terrorists between India and Pakistan via the Nepal border.
Hakim alias Bagga
Role: A close aide of Riyaz Bhatkal, Bagga has been absconding after the Delhi blasts. He helped procure weapons for the attack.
Where is he today? He is living in Pakistan with the help of Riyaz.
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MOST WANTED: Indian Mujahideen's top 15 operatives
Photographs: Reuters Vicky Nanjappa
Kodhi alias Khalid
Role: He was part of the team, which carried out serial blasts in Ahmedabad (56 killed) and Delhi in 2008. He oversees the operations of the IM across the border and manages logistics of the outfit.
Where is he today? Khalid is hiding in Pakistan.
Abu Rashid (left)
Role: An accused in the 2008 Surat blast, he has been untraceable. He is helping to set up an IM module in Gujarat.
Where is he today? Rashid was in Nepal for a brief period, but intelligence sources say he is currently in India.
Sultan
Role: A key IM operative, Sultan oversaw the setting up of the IM in 2006-2007. He helps in training new recruits.
Where is he today? He operates from Lahore, Pakistan. He fled India along with Riyaz and Iqbal.
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MOST WANTED: Indian Mujahideen's top 15 operatives
Photographs: Reuters Vicky Nanjappa
Maula alias Pujari
Role: He was part of the first core team of the IM. He works closely with Amir Reza Khan, one of the founder members of the IM.
Where is he today? He is living in Pakistan.
Shabbar
Role: He was part of the Azamgarh module.
Where is he today? He fled to Pakistan after the Batla House encounter. He was not present in Delhi during the incident but his name cropped up in the investigation.
Bigdu Khan
Role: He was recruited in the group in 2008, the same year when Yasin commenced his operations. He worked closely with the IM co-founder. He was called to Pakistan by Riyaz to assist Sultan.
Where is he today? He is currently based in Pakistan.
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MOST WANTED: Indian Mujahideen's top 15 operatives
Photographs: Fayaz Kabli/Reuters Vicky Nanjappa
Mota Bhai
Role: He is said to be the link between the IM and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. He functions as a middleman in the outfit.
Where is he today? He is a resident of Karachi, Pakistan.
Farhan Bhatkal
Role: Though his name has not cropped up in any major attack, he is said to be an aide of Riyaz.
Where is he today? He fled to Pakistan with Riyaz and lives with him.
Bada Sajid
Role: A major player in the outfit, he was responsible for recruitment and accommodating IM operatives in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. He was inclined towards the Al Qaeda.
Where is he today? Investigators say that he made an attempt to move to Afghanistan, but there have been no latest intel inputs on him.
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