By IANS
Bangalore : Two youths arrested by Karnataka police on suspicion of links with terrorist groups have confessed to target practice with a .22 gun in a forest in the northern part of the state but have denied it was part of training for terror attacks, police said Saturday.
“The two have told interrogators that they got the weapon from a friend and just went to the forest near Kalghatgi in Dharwad district to practise firing,” Dharwad Superintendent of Police B.S Prakash told IANS.
“I visited the forest area (about 30 km from Dharwad) Thursday after learning about the confession and found no clue to any terror camps being organised there,” he said.
Inspector General of Police R. Auradkar also said the area was being searched and there was no indication of terror training camps being organised there. He said further investigation was on.
Asadullah Abubacker and Mohammed Ghouse alias Riyazuddin Nasir were arrested in Honnali in the central Karnataka district of Davangere early last month on suspicion of riding a stolen two-wheeler.
A third man, Mohammed Asif, a final year medical student of government-run Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), was arrested from his college hostel Wednesday following information provided by Abubacker and Nasir. All three are in their twenties.
Riyazuddin is the son Mohammed Naseeruddin a cleric in Hyderabadi who had been arrested in connection with the murder of Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya in 2003.
Prakash said the green flags found in the Kalghatgi forest area appeared to be similar to ones that people hoist at shrines.
“There is a dargah (shrine) called Sadhu Shaheen, about 6 km from Kalghatgi. It is well-known in the area and both Hindus and Muslims visit there,” he said. “It is a tradition to put a green flag at the dargah when people visit it,” he added.
Abubacker told Davangere police that he had visited the shrine in September last year and after praying there went to the nearby forest area for target practice as his friend had given him the weapon, Prakash said.
Abubacker also told police that Nasir and Asif had also done practice firing in the same area later.
“Actually there is little chance of terror camps being organised there. However I have set up a team for further probe,” Prakash said.
Davangere Police Superintendent Ravindra Prasad declined to give any details on the confession. “I cannot comment on the issue,” he said when asked whether he had visited Kalghatgi forest following the confession of target practice.
Honnali police picked Abubacker and Riyazuddin up Jan 11 as they were riding a two-wheeler. On interrogation it was revealed that the vehicle was stolen from Hubli in neighbouring Dharwad district.
Reports of a sensational confession by the two started to appear in the media only two weeks after their arrest.
Their reported confession has brought police teams from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa to Davangere to interrogate them to find out their alleged links to or information on last year’s Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad, murder of a foreign tourist in Goa and possible terror activity in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Central intelligence agencies have been informed of the confession of Abubacker, Riyazuddin and Asif, a senior police official said.
“Once they complete the interrogation, it can be definitely established whether the arrested had any links with terror groups,” the official said.