| Police claim one of them played a key role in several serial blasts |
Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma who led the operation killed in encounter
One militant arrested, two manage to flee
Fighting terror: The Jamia Nagar area in Delhi where a shootout took place on Friday resulting in the death of two suspected terrorists and an inspector. Coming hot on the heels of the Delhi serial blasts, the encounter sent shock waves in the capital.
NEW DELHI: Two suspected terrorists, including a key Indian Mujahideen functionary who played a major role in the Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and the recent Delhi serial blasts, were gunned down in an encounter with the Special Cell of the Delhi police at Batla House in South Delhi on Friday. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, a highly decorated officer, who led the operation, was killed in the encounter.
The Special Cell, which was in touch with its Gujarat and Rajasthan counterparts, received a tip-off that Mohammad Bashir, alias Atiq, of the Indian Mujahideen involved in the Ahmedabad blasts, had been living with some other suspected militants in a flat at L-18 Batla House.
A team led by Mr. Sharma cordoned off the area on Friday morning, Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal told a press conference. The operation began around 10.30 a.m. after armed policemen took positions outside the building. Around 11 a.m., another team went up to the flat on the fourth floor where the suspected militants were hiding.
“The police team was fired upon. In all, eight rounds were fired by the militants and the police fired 22 rounds. Sharma sustained three bullet injuries and head constable Balwant took one shot in the hand,” said Mr. Dadwal, adding that two militants managed to flee under fire cover. An AK series assault rifle and two .30 pistols were found at the spot.
A suspected militant, Saif Ahmad, was arrested. Those killed were identified as Bashir and Mohammad Fakruddin, alias Sajed, both residents of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
Investigations revealed that Bashir, who had links with another alleged top Indian Mujahideen member Mohammad Subhan Qureshi, alias Tauqeer, was part of the core group that executed the Ahmedabad blasts on July 26. He had allegedly configured the bombs.
The police said they had sound evidence to establish that Bashir took 10 men to Ahmedabad on July 24 and returned to Delhi on July 27 following the blasts. “He brought back a dozen people with him, two of whom had arranged stolen vehicles that were used in the blasts there,” said Mr. Dadwal.
Modus operandiBack in the Capital, Bashir allegedly started preparing for the blasts and conducted a reconnaissance of marketplaces to fix the targets. According to the police, Bashir was an expert in making improvised explosive devices and apparently configured the bombs planted near Gaffar Market, Connaught Place and M-Block Market of Greater Kailash. He went to Jaipur on July 13 to trigger blasts there, the police said.
Saif is being interrogated to tie up the loose ends of the conspiracy hatched to trigger the blasts and also to track down the other Indian Mujahideen militants.
Mr. Dadwal said the Batla House operation was carried out solely by the Special Cell and it had no connection with the presence of Abul Bashar Qasmi, main accused in the Ahmedabad blasts, in the Capital on Thursday. “In fact, Bashir did not have any link with Abul Bashar,” said another police officer.
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