By TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Hours after the Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria on Monday claimed to get a breakthrough in the July 13, 2011 Mumbai serial blasts by arresting three culprits, the Union Home Ministry said the Maharashtra ATS caught wrong men.
Six months after the triple blast ripped off South Mumbai, Maharashtra ATS claimed to have nabbed the culprits on Monday. Three culprits were arrested and three including Yaseen Bhatkal and two other Pakistanis were declared absconding, by ATS chief Rakesh Maria.
The triple blast on July 13 last year killed 27 and wounded over 130.
Mohammed Naquee Ahmed (22), Nadeem AKhtar (23) both from Darbhanga, Bihar and Harun Rashid Naik (33) from Mumbra, near Mumbai were arrested in connection with the blasts at Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar Kabutar Khana.
Maha ATS claims
Rakesh Maria in a press conference on 23rd January 2012 claimed, “Naquee Ahmed and Nadeem Akhtar had stolen scooters, one of which was used at Zaveri Bazaar to plant the bomb. Harun Rasheed Naik, who was arrested in fake currency case in August 2011 and the ATS would seek his transfer for his alleged involvement in the financial aspects of the blast.”
However, the claim was exposed by the home ministry within hours. Media reports have quoted the ministry sources as saying that one of the three was in fact Intelligence Bureau informer and was cooperating with Special Cell of Delhi Police in a terror case.
Monday’s claimed breakthrough has come amidst several media reports in last two weeks about the context in which Naquee Ahmed was arrested by Mumbai ATS on 10th January in Mumbai itself when he was taken there by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in connection with a probe. Civil rights groups last week had already written to Union Home Ministry and Delhi Police chief about the arrest of Ahmed. Ahmed’s brother Taquee Ahmed had held a press conference also on 18th Jan in Delhi.
Not only this, two days back Taquee had met the National Commission for Minorities chief Wajahat Habibullah. The NCM chief had forwarded his case to KN Daruwala, NCM Member who looks into cases from Maharashtra. Daruwala on Sunday (22nd Jan. 2012) tried to contact Maha ATS chief regarding the detention of Naquee Ahmed but in vain. “I tried to speak to Mumbai Police Commissioner Arun Patnaik and Maharashtra ATS Chief Rakesh Maria. I also sent them messages through SMS. But nobody has bothered to get back to me,” On Sunday, Daruwalla had told The Tribune on Sunday.
Naquee Ahmed’s brother Taquee Ahmad (R) along with Shabnam Hashmi addressing press at ANHAD’s office in Delhi on 18th Jan. [TCN Photo]
Was Naquee an IB informer?
While Union Home Ministry sources on Monday told Naqueee was an IB informer and was cooperating with the Special Cell of Delhi Police, his brother Taquee Ahmed at a press conference at ANHAD’s office in New Delhi on 18th January had said Naquee was cooperating with the Delhi Police since 9th December 2011 in connection with some terror cases for which the Special Cell had picked about half a dozen youths from Bihar, mostly from Madhubani and Darbhanga – the hometown of Naquee.
Some media reports say Special Cell had reached him after the arrest of one Gayur Jamali from Darbhanga.
Taquee gave date wise details about the contacts/interrogation of Naquee by the Special Cell.
The Case
Taquee and Naquee Ahmed live in Abul Fazal, New Delhi. Taquee runs a shop, Luggage Mart, on the Kalindi Kunj-Sarita Vihar road. Their two elder brothers live in Mumbai, where they run a workshop to produce trolley bags. They hail from Darbhanga, where their parents still live.
Chronology of events
9th December
Razi Ahmed, resident of Mumbai, arrived in Delhi from Kolkata. He was visiting his brothers, Naquee and Taquee Ahmed, who live in Abul Fazal. He went to the parking and took an auto when two men forced themselves into the auto, sitting on each side. Razi panicked but the two men told him that they belonged to the Intelligence. They went to Shaheen Bagh bus stop. Taquee came to the bus stop and the two Intelligence men demanded that they produce Naquee before them. Taquee demanded to see their ID. After much haggling, they showed their IDs. Their names were Lalit Mohan Negi and Hriday Bhushan (belonging to Special Cell). Naquee was called to the bus stop after that. Lalit and Bhushan asked him about one Gayur Jamali (he was arrested in November 2011). Naquee said that he had social relations with him from the time they lived in Darbhanga (Bihar). They asked him if he had helped two men get accommodation in Bombay. Naquee said yes, that he had. He did not know about Gayur’s activities or intentions—knowing him socially he had helped him by outing him in touch with a broker in Bombay. The two men then asked him to cooperate with their investigation and Naquee agreed.
Naquee and his two brothers went to the Special Cell office in Lodhi Colony, where Naquee was made to talk to Gayur.
10th December
Naquee was taken to Bombay by the 10:30 Go Air flight. Naquee helped them identify the locality in which the house had been rented. It also turned out that the Special Cell had rented a place in the area to keep a watch.
They returned on 13th December.
Over the next few days, between 15th December and 7th January, Taquee and Naquee visited Special Cell office several times. They wanted to check their mobile details so both brothers left their phones in the office. Naquee went to retrieve the phones. They were both tired of the daily harassment and tension owing to these enquiries.
7th January
Naquee received a call saying that both occupants of the rented flat in Mumbai had returned and Naquee was needed for identifying them.
8th January
Naquee was taken to Mumbai on the 4.30 Rajdhani train.
9th January
They reached Mumbai. Naquee called in the evening and said that most of the work had been completed and that he would return tomorrow.
In the night, at about 11:30, the Maharashtra ATS came to Naquee’s brother’s workshop and picked up his elder brother Rafi. When Naquee came to know of this, he called up the Special Cell officer and asked why his brother was being picked up when it was known to the Special Cell that he was not involved in any criminal or terror activity. The Special Cell officer informed him that it was the ATS and not the Special Cell, which had picked up his brother. There was nothing they could do about it as the two agencies did not get along well. They asked him to come over to the house the Special Cell had rented in the ‘target area’.
Naquee then called up Nadeem, who used to live in the workshop to get an update about the situation in the workshop. Nadeem told him to come to hotel Sagar. Unknown to Naquee, the ATS had nabbed Nadeem and had laid a trap for Naquee through him. When Naquee reached the hotel, he too was nabbed.
At about 1.30 in the morning, ATS returned to the workshop and picked up Razi bhai and a worker.
11th January
Razi and Rafi were released.
13th January
Rafi picked up by ATS again.
17th January
The Ahmad’s residence in Darbhanga (village Deora Bandauli) was visited by the Maharashtra ATS late at night. A motorcycle belonging to his elder brother was seized by the ATS saying that it was stolen. The elderly parents of the Ahmads are fear struck.
Sections 419, 420 have been slapped on Naquee. Rafi has been released this evening. In effect this has been an illegal detention.