UP DGP Vikram Singh told reporters that the same group was involved in the December 2005 attack at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. One of those arrested today, Sabauddin Ahmed, who belongs to Bihar, is believed to have led both the Rampur and Bangalore attacks.

The attack on the CRPF centre had left seven jawans and one civilian dead, while a Delhi-based professor died in the IISc incident.

While Fahim Ahmed Ansari alias Abu Zarar alias Shahir, Mohd Sharif alias Mohd Anwar and Jang Bahadur alias Baba were arrested from Moradabad, Sabauddin Ahmed alias Abu Quasim, Abu Zar alias Amar Singh and Abu Sama alias Avdesh were picked up from near the Charbagh railway station in Lucknow.

It is Sabauddin from Gandhwar village of Bihar’s Madhubani district who is being considered the prize catch. “He had secured admission in Bangalore’s Presidency College for a Bachelor’s in Business Application. He is extremely computer savvy,” Brij Lal, Additional DG of UP’s Special Task Force which arrested the men, told The Indian Express.

While Sabauddin was said to have undergone terror training in Pakistan in 2004, police claimed Fahim Ahmed and Abu Zar are Pakistanis, belonging to Rawalpindi and PoK’s Samahani.

Sharif and Jang Bahadur belong to Rampur. “Except Jang Bahadur, all the five received training in Pakistan,” said the DGP. While Abu Zar, Abu Sama and Sabauddin carried out the Rampur operation, Jang Bahadur did the survey of the CRPF camp.

The STF claimed to have seized two AK-47s, five hand grenades, a pistol manufactured in a Peshawar factory, besides three Pakistani passports from the men.

Police claimed that Sharif told them his job was to transfer the weapons from Kashmir to a place in UP for the Rampur attack and make arrangements for the stay of the other terrorists.

Sharif stored the weapons, including AK-47s and grenades, in the house of Mohd Kaushar of Kunda town in UP’s Pratapgarh district, police said. “The weapons were later supplied to Abu Zar, Abu Sama and Sabauddin who had already reached Rampur.”

Singh added that Sharif also took the three to the CRPF centre and explained to them the layout of the camp.

Fahim Ahmed reportedly told interrogators he was tasked to make arrangements for the stay of the terrorists in Mumbai, with the help of Sharif. “He named Zaki-ur-Rehman as commander,” the DGP said.

On the Bangalore attack, the STF said Sabauddin met Laskhar ‘commander’ Abdul Aziz in 2004 in Bangladesh. “Aziz directed him to get a house on rent in Bangalore. Sabauddin first got admission in the BBA course in Presidency College and then stayed in a rented accommodation near the college,” the STF said.

“He, along with a fidayeen called Hamza, attacked the IISc’s J N Tata Auditorium where a seminar was being held. After the attack, both escaped to Pakistan from two different routes,” the STF release said.

The police also believe that Sabauddin was first instructed to target a military convoy between Bareilly and Rampur. “When he failed to do that, he was asked to target the CRPF centre in Rampur,” a police source said. For this, he was said to have contacted Rampur-based Suhail alias Sajid, who had also trained at a Lashkar camp in 2001. It was Suhail who was sent to Kashmir to procure the weapons, police said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Anti-Terrorist Squad despatched a team to Lucknow to question the arrested men.

Joint Commissioner of Police (ATS) Hemant Karkare said: “One of them, Fahim, is from Mumbai and has a room here in the city. It is also believed that he is the holder of a Pakistani passport. But nothing can be said for certain until we question the accused ourselves. We have sent a team to Lucknow.”