AHMEDABAD, Oct 14: The Lashkar-e-Toiba, a self-proclaimed army of holy warriors, is frequently using the border in the Kutch district as an easy gateway to India.At least half a dozen terrorists have infiltrated into the country from Pakistan with consignments of arms and deadly explosives. Some of the infiltrators had been involved in bomb blasts in Delhi, Hyderabad, and other big cities, police sources said.
According to them, the first crossing was in March 1997, of the Afghan-trained Osman alias Bablu and Raja. The two have not been traced yet.
The very next month, Abdul Sattar alias Mohammed Sharif alias Abu Sayyed, an agent of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) crossed the border. He was arrested in Delhi.
The same month, another agent, Abu Hasan, brought in some explosives. He is believed to have had a hand in a blast in Thane, but has made good his escape, via Bangladesh, on to Pakistan. Hasan is said to have supplied some seven kg of RDX to his Indian contacts.
Later in June,another seven kg of RDX and a case full of remote-control devices were pushed into the country by dreaded killer Abu Darda alias Amir. He, too, has still not been traced.
In February, 1998, police recovered 20 kg of explosive in Hyderabad and a small amount, about one kg in Bhuj. The material was believed to have been brought in by one Mohammed Ishtiaq alias Mohammed Salim Chuner, who was later arrested by Hyderabad police for carrying out operations in Karnataka and Gujarat.
On March 31, 1998 officials were informed that two LET activists, Mansoor alias Abu Kahafa and Mohammed Shakil alias Abu Farooq crossed the border with explosives. They were arrested in Hyderabad but police failed to recover any explosive from them.
All that activists arrested by the police were trained by Afghan mercenaries across the Indian border. Their main aim was to slay political bigwigs and create disturbance in India.
Recently, in July-September, intelligence agencies confirmed a crossing with some contraband ofexplosives from the Bhuj sector. The police are trying to find out where and how the consignment was pushed in.
Police however, confirmed that every time only one of two activities entered the border and had carried powerful electronic devices. They were also using code words for making contacts in India and abroad.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.