Mumbai: To strengthen their case against two
terror suspects arrested for allegedly plotting attacks in the
city, the Anti-Terrorism Squad will make witnesses the duo`s
friends, who were lured by them to go to Pakistan for terror
training, an ATS official said here.
The anti-terror unit is giving final touches to the
chargesheet that would be filed soon against the two arrested
terror suspects and their handler in Pakistan, who allegedly
plotted strikes at the ONGC headquarters and two markets here,
the official added.
On March 13, the ATS had arrested Abdul Latif alias Guddu
(29) and Riyaz Ali alias Rehan (23) from near Matunga railway
station in central Mumbai.
"The two had tried to lure at least 10 of their friends
and tried to involve them in their terror activities. They
wanted to send them to Pakistan by arranging passports for
them," the official claimed.
"Their friends got frightened and refused to go against
the nation. They didn`t want to get involved in any terror
activities," the official said, adding "We will make their
friends witnesses to make the case stronger against the two."
The duo had allegedly conducted recce of three targets
- headquarters of public sector Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation, Thakkar Mall and Mangaldas Market in the city -
and were planning to carry out attacks which included sabotage
and setting them on fire, the ATS added.
The duo used to receive instructions from a person in
Karachi whom they referred as `Uncle`, it alleged.
The `Uncle` could be Bashi Khan, an aide of Tiger Memon
who is closely associated with underworld fugitive Dawood
Ibrahim and is one of the masterminds of the 1993 blasts in
Mumbai, the official said.
Khan is accused of having transported explosives to
Mumbai prior to the serial blasts.
In the chargesheet, it would be mentioned that the phone
calls the accused duo received over and over again came from
Karachi, the ATS official said.
PTI
