Without a clue in terror strike,police scrutinise role of SIMI activists

After the 2008 serial blasts in Delhi,the Special Cell of Delhi Police had busted the north India wing of Indian Mujahideen (IM)— a group of homegrown terrorists and an offshoot of SIMI and Lashkar-e-Tayeba (LeT). At least three of the arrested IM members were also members of SIMI,officials said.

In the past ten years,77 members of SIMI have been arrested for various terror attacks in the country. Mohammad Saif who was the only one arrested from Batla House on September 19,2008 after an encounter with Special Cell had told police that SIMI was re-grouping and planning attacks in the country. The group’s head Atif Ameen and another member Chota Sajid had been killed in the encounter while two others managed to escape,police said.

“While Saif had told us that he had information about SIMI carrying out blasts in 2010,we are still looking at the group’s role since they must have changed the timing,” said a senior officer.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Rajya Sabha this year that since 2002,they have arrested 77 members of the group and were trying to bust any sleeper cell associated with them.

“It is too early to blame any particular group for the explosions but we cannot rule out anything. During his interrogation Saif could not reveal much about SIMI’s plan as its head Atif Ameen was killed in the encounter. Saif had limited information about IM’s activities,” said the officer.

Saif’s interrogation also said that the banned group had prepared a list of high profile people and places across India which would be targeted in the future.

“He told us then that the group wanted to bleed the country with frequent and powerful blasts. The blueprint of the plan or the other details could not be revealed as he was not one of the core members,” said the officer.