By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Mohammad Rashid is a convert Muslim from Allahabad. He is doing Ph.D. from Jamia Millia Islamia. Yesterday a team of the Anti-Terrorism Squad raided his rented room at House No. C. 81 in Abul Fazl Enclave area and he was picked up.
“They came between 3-4 pm with Abul Bashar, the alleged mastermind of Ahmedabad serial blasts. They were in civil dress. They raided the room. Abul Bashar was introduced to Rashid who denied he knew Bashar,” said Nooruddin, 75 years old who runs a tea stall a few meters from Rashid’s room, while talking to TwoCircles.net and some other media representatives.
Nooruddin says Rashid is a very simple man. He often came to his stall. He never quarreled with anyone, recalls the old man who hails from Azamgarh.
Rashid’s roommate Suhaib Akhtar is a Class XI student. Recalling the incident he says: “They were 6-7 in number, they stayed in the room for some time and asked Rashid to go with them. When he resisted they promised to release him after one and half hour of questioning.” He is yet to return home.
Rashid did his graduation and post-graduation from Jamial Millia Islamia.
According to an unconfirmed report, three more persons from Jamia Nagar area were picked up from an IDBI branch in Lajpat Nagar market. One of them is Assistant General Manager of the bank Syed Ghazi Islam.
In fact soon after the Delhi bomb blasts the Anti-Terrorism Squad has made raids in several Muslim pockets in the national capital. Many of those detained have been released.
Meanwhile, the owner of the house where the encounter took place this morning has been detained along with four other persons from the locality.
The police are questioning them to know more about the suspected terrorists who were residing in the area for about a month.