Investigators probing the serial blasts of 7/11 say they have identified the man who acted as a conduit in Saudi Arabia for channelling hawala money from Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Azam Cheema to Faizal Ataur Rehman Sheikh, believed to be LeT’s Mumbai chief, now in police custody.

The man, identified as Rizwaan, was also used by Faizal’s London-based elder brother Rahil to send money to his younger sibling, said Crime Branch sources. The sources told The Indian Express that Rizwaan was an IT professional in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They said Rizwaan’s name cropped up when they were questioning Faizal’s younger brother Muzamil, who used to work for an American software major in Bangalore before being arrested in the serial blasts case.

On Monday, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said that it had seized 37,000 Rials (Rs 4.6 lakh) sent via the hawala route from Saudi Arabia to Faizal in two instalments before and after the blasts. ‘‘Faizal and Rizwaan were neighbours in Pune, before Faizal moved to Mumbai. Rizwaan shifted to Saudi Arabia around three years ago. Faizal also spent some time with him there,’’ said a Crime Branch officer.

He added that when Azam Cheema — believed to be based in Pakistan — asked Faizal to locate a middleman in Saudi Arabia, through whom he could send money to Maharashtra using the hawala network, Faizal suggested Rizwaan’s name. ‘‘Faizal trusted Rizwaan. Whenever he needed money, he left a message with Rizwaan, who relayed it to Cheema. The money would be picked up by someone on Temkar Street, where Faizal had stayed before. His cousins still live there,’’ said the officer.

... contd.