IM, fallout of Reza force

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
19th oct 2008
Terrorist kingpin Amir Reza, who helped Riyaz Bhatkal to set up the Indian Mujahideen, also had links with terror operatives involved in the Sai Baba Temple blast in Saroornagar.
Police said Bhatkal, who was involved in the twin blasts of the city, had been taking directions from Amir Reza.
The latter was heading the Asif Reza Commando Force which was involved in US Consulate attack in Kolkata in 2002.
Asif Reza, brother of Amir Reza, was killed by the Gujarat police in an encounter in 2001. It was after his death that his brother formed the commando force. Police now believe that the Indian Mujahiddeen may have evolved form this force.
Sleuths got wind of Amir Reza’s activities after Lakshkar-e-Tayyeba terrorist Abdul Masood Razzak, a native of Nizamabad, was arrested by Delhi police and brought to Hyderabad in August 2005.
“Razzak was a close associate of Amir Reza and Aftab Ansari, who helped the September 11 attackers of Al Qaeda and the Kandahaar plane hijackers,” said a senior police officer.
Razzak was the chief coordinator of LeT in Dubai and was an accused in Sai Baba temple blast in 2002. He also helped Amir Reza escape to Karachi under a false passport.
Police suspect that Amir Reza also had contacts with Harkat Ul Jihad Al Islami of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the city police found that Indian Mujahiddeen activists, Anique and Akbar, who stayed in a flat in Habsiguda, had entered into a rental agreement with the owner, Mr Hariram.
“Anique contacted the owner of the flat after seeing an ad,” said a senior police officer. “He gave the false name of Satish Gaikwad and signed a rental agreement.” Police is planning to hand over the handwriting samples of Anique and the rental agreement to the AP Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.
The duo stayed in the Habsiguda flat for two days and then asked the owner to give back the advance of Rs 8,000. However, he refused to do it at such short notice and they vacated the flat.
“They were very upset as the bomb they planted at Dilsukhnagar didn’t explode,” said the cop.