Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Continuing with their probe into Pak-born US national David Coleman Headley and his aide, suspected LeT operative Tahawwur Rana, investigating authorities have revealed the duo’s Kochi links.
Rana, a Canadian citizen, was posing as an immigration consultant and had advertised in newspapers for temporary jobs in US and Canada offering temporary visa and giving preference to ex-Armymen as well. These jobs were advertised in Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and New Delhi.
Confirming Rana’s visit Kerala DGP Jacob Punnoose said, "A man named Tahawwur Hussain Rana had stayed in a hotel in Kochi on November 16 (last year). We are checking the details."
The costs for these print ads were paid by Headley’s job agency in Tardeo, Mumbai.
However, according to sources, the job advertisements were more of an eyewash and were more of a signal to the duo’s associates in India to let them know about the meeting point during their India visit.
Sources further revealed that Rana along with his wife had stayed in a resort in Kerala’s Munnar Valley. It is also believed that they had planned to attack foreign tourists, including Jews, visiting the place. Security agencies are still ascertaining these claims.
On Sunday, NIA continued with its investigations into Headley’s links. NIA sleuths along with their Delhi Police counterparts raided cyber cafes near Paharganj hotels.
A Delhi Police special cell team too conducted searches in Paharganj hotels and cyber cafes.
During his visits to Delhi, Headley had stayed in Paharganj hotels and NIA believes that he might have used cyber cafes in the vicinity of his hotels to communicate with his associate Rana.
Earlier, Mumbai Police had also recovered some suspicious documents from a Goregaon chawl after they raided places in Malad, Pali Hill, Goregaon and Khar areas in Maharashtra capital.
Home Secretary GK Pillai yesterday ruled out any possibility of giving a clean chit to any one in the case, including Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul.
Speaking to media Pillai said, “Investigations are still on and there is no question of any clean chit.”
Asked about police failure to get an inkling about the plot while the two were in Mumbai to do a recce ahead of the 26/11 attacks, Pillai said, "Primarily they had come before November 26, 2008, that is why."
The NIA questioned Rahul Bhatt in the matter.
The Home Secretary also informed about the arrest of a Pakistani ISI spy, Aamir Ali, from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
His real name is said to be Abdul and he was trying to board a flight to Saudi Arabia from where he wanted to go to Pakistan. Police recovered a fake passport from him bearing the name of Aamir.
Abdul alias Aamir was staying in Shahdara and was a highly trained Pakistani spy. His job was to send information about the Indian Army across border. He had allegedly sent information on Ghaziabad’s Hindon airbase and Meerut cantonment area to Pakistan through the Internet.
The ISI agent is said to be in his mid-40s. He had earlier stayed in Lucknow and was now looking to make Delhi his home. He had even started working in a mobile repair shop. Another aide of his was arrested in the year 2007.
Following Aamir's arrest several police teams have been dispatched to UP cities.
First Published: Monday, November 16, 2009, 11:02