Fourth IM operative held: Cops

Delhi Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested a fourth Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative involved in the serial bombings in Pune on August 1.

Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) S N Srivastava said 30-year-old Mohammed Irfan Musfata Langde was picked up from his hideout near Jaipur's Sindhi bus stand on October 10, and produced in court the next day.

Irfan, a software engineer from Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, had allegedly been asked by IM leader Riyaz Bhatkal to rent accommodation for the alleged bombers in Pune. Irfan had also allegedly received hawala money in two instalments.

Police had on October 11 announced the arrest of three members of the alleged terror module — Sayyed Feroze of Pune, and Asad Khan and Imran Khan of Nanded — in Delhi. Two others, including one Raju Bhai, who police say helped Asad and Imran find a place to stay in Delhi, are at large.

Two days ago, Irfan's father, Mohammed Mustafa Langde, a former Maharashtra government telecom officer, had been quoted as alleging that his son had been picked up by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from Thane district on October 5. Langde had claimed to have been contacted by Special Cell officers by phone, and to have been asked to come to a hotel in Juhu in Mumbai.

He was also quoted as saying that the officers had asked him to fly to Delhi on October 10, but he had taken his lawyer's advice and stayed away.

Delhi Police on Wednesday denied the allegations. "Ours is a very clean operation. We have enough evidence of the accused being arrested from Jaipur on October 10. He was also produced in court the following day," Srivastava said.

Srivastava said Irfan had received the other members of the module at Laxmi Talkies in Pune and brought them to the rented accommodation. "It was Irfan who received the hawala money in two instalments from Riyaz Bhatkal. He (Irfan) is an expert at making IEDs," Srivastava said.

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