New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Police will soon send a team to Bangalore to seek custody of Tadiyantavide Nazir, alleged mastermind of Indian Mujahideen terror outfit, who is believed to be behind an exfiltration bid by four Keralites through Kupwara last year.
Nazir, currently in custody of Bangalore Police, is understood to have claimed the responsibility for last year`s Bangalore blasts, which killed two persons. He is wanted by the JK Police to understand the exact number of youths who had managed to exfiltrate from the state, official sources said.
He is alleged to have recruited dozens of youth from Kerala and sent them for terror training to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir using the exfiltration routes in the state.
His name surfaced last year when the state police shot dead four Kerala residents who were training with a Lashkar-e-Toiba unit in Kupwara district of north Jammu and Kashmir. He was also in constant touch with Indian Mujahideen commander Riyaz Shahbandri who is also known as Riyaz Bhatkal.
A senior police official from the state said his custodial interrogation was necessary as this would help the police in knowing the number of youth and the name of people who had helped him in the state.
Nazir, who was arrested along the Indo-Bangla border on December two by BSF and handed over to Meghalaya Police before Bangalore Police got his custody, had emerged as a prize catch for security agencies as his arrest has come as a setback to efforts by LeT to turn south India into a terror hub.
During investigation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, it had come to light that the group that attempted to exfiltrate to PoK, had received some political help in Kerala to travel to the border state with fake documents.
Nazir is believed to have given some crucial details about his links with leaders of a political party in Kerala.
The militant, said to be the head of LeT`s south India unit, has told his interrogators that he had been a staunch worker of a political party and received patronage when he had been arrested in Kerala, official sources said.
The information had been shared with the central government for further action, the sources said.
Arrested along with his brother-in-law Shafaz, Nazir`s nabbing had helped the agencies in solving various puzzles including last year`s synchronised Bangalore blasts and other terror activities in south India besides Lashker`s plan "BAD" under which Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Delhi were targeted.
Nazir had managed to escape immediately after BAD was executed in September last year.
The plan began on July 25 last year with eight blasts in the IT hub killing two persons, which was followed by more than 20 blasts in Ahmedabad on the evening of July 26, killing 56 people.
Delhi was attacked on September 13, 2008, by Lashker terrorists under the shadow of so-called Indian Mujahideen who triggered five synchronised blasts killing about 30 people.
Nazir allegedly had a direct hand in executing the Bangalore blasts and is accused of having supplied electronic components used by Indian Mujahideen to fabricate improvised explosive devices used in other strikes.
PTI
