Counter-terror

New Delhi | Hyderabad, September 19: After hours of planning well into Thursday night, a team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, in an encounter that lasted just over half an hour this morning, killed two men who, they said, were behind the serial blasts in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, a highly decorated police officer who led the team, was killed in the encounter. Police arrested one alleged terrorist and said that two others had escaped.

“The killed terrorist Atif alias Bashir (24) was one of the key leaders of the Indian Mujahideen (the group that sent emails and claimed responsibility for the blasts). He was linked with mastermind Abdus Subhan alias Tauqeer,” Commissioner of Police Y S Dadwal said. The other man killed has been identified as Sajid (25). Both were residents of Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The suspect arrested was identified as Mohd Saif.

One AK-47 and two 30-bore pistols were recovered from the flat where the alleged terrorists were staying. However, no other ammunition or bomb-making material was found. Police also recovered seven mobile phones.

Inspector Sharma, along with five officers, knocked on the doors of all the flats on the fifth floor. Around 10.30 am, the door to L-18 opened, and Sharma was shot thrice. Police said there were eight rounds of fire from the terrorists while they fired 22 rounds.

After Sharma was shot — he later died in hospital — several teams rushed to the spot. In the exchange of fire, police said, Atif and Sajid were killed and Saif was arrested.

Delhi Police officials said they came to know of the “module” hiding in Batla House area of Jamia Nagar by tracking cellphone numbers which the men were reportedly using even five days after the September 13 serial blasts.

While one of the main accused in the Ahmedabad blasts, Abu Bashar, was brought to Delhi for questioning yesterday, Dadwal said the operation had nothing to do with him or what he had revealed.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch had provided to the Intelligence Bureau numbers of at least half a dozen PCO booths in Delhi from where those suspected to be involved in the serial blasts in Ahmedabad and later in New Delhi were making calls.

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