Technical surveillance on several ?suspected international numbers? following the German Bakery blast in Pune helped the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) stumble upon another ?ongoing terrorist activity? which led to two arrests on Saturday night ? Abdul Latif Shaikh, a Bandra resident who worked as a shop assistant, and Riyaz Ali, a Dahisar resident who worked as a salesman.
The duo were arrested late on Saturday night from Matunga. ATS officials said following phone intercepts, they had been tailing the two for the last fortnight or so. Their phone calls and movements were being constantly monitored by the ATS.
ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi claimed that ?the two were working on three target ? ONGC tanks in Bandra, Mangaldas Market in South Mumbai and Thakur Mall at Borivli?. The targets and the instructions were allegedly being given via phone by handlers believed to be based in Pakistan, one of whom was using the alias ?uncle?.
?There are reasons to believe there could be more persons involved. At this stage, the arrested persons have not been identified to belong to any specific terror outfit, but our intelligence and the two-week surveillance confirm that they were gearing for a terrorist activity. They had been briefed on sabotage and also to create fire at the towers if needed,? he added. The two have been remanded to police custody till March 18.
According to senior officials, the probe also found an interesting strategy and a new style of recruitment conforming to the ?Karachi Plot? first prove yourself as a jihadi in your home soil and then be eligible to join terror outfit?. They found ?strong leads,? which confirmed that the two youths were constantly being told by??uncle? to apply for a passport, identify their targets and ?get working? towards proving themselves. Investigating agencies are checking on the status of their passports.
Of the many options discussed, which included some locations in the eastern suburbs, the duo were finally given three targets. ?Thakur Mall was specifically chosen only for one reason ? its proximity to the Gujarati chawl adjoining it,? said a senior ATS officer. Riyaz Ali was, in fact, employed at a store in Thakur Mall.??Mangaldas Market also was chosen for the same connection,? said the officer.
The two men were identified by ?local sources? of terror outfits. While both are educated, Riyaz is also computer-literate. The two used aliases like ?Guddu?, ?Babu? and ?Rehaan? during their interactions with ?uncle?. The phone taps confirmed the duo had already done the ground work. ?The two had finished their recce of the locations,? said Raghuvanshi.?Another central intelligence agency had also sent an alert about Thakur Mall being a possible target.
The cellphone records of Abdul Shaikh confirmed his movement around the ONGC towers in the last two weeks. Senior ATS officials also confirmed that ONGC locations across the country had been put on ?high alert?.
The other places where security has been stepped up as a preventive measure include Nhava Sheva and?Customs House.
