IM man posed as student

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
20th oct 2008
Anique Shafique Shaik, the Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist behind the twin blasts in Hyderabad, had posed as a student, Satish Gaikwad from Pune, when he took a flat on rent at Habsiguda, according to the flat owner, Mr Gopisetty Hariram.
Mr Hariram, a retired engineer from the irrigation department, is a resident of Begumpet. He also owns a flat on the third floor of Banjara Nilayam at Street No. 8, Habsiguda “After seeing my advertisement for tenants, he approached me as Satish Gaikwad from Pune. He told me that two others will also be staying with him. I also entered into a rental agreement.” Investigations by the police revealed that Anique did pose as a student. Mr Hariram visited the flat thrice during Anique’s stay there.
“I never found anything suspicious. There were books in the room. But I saw only ‘Gaikwad’. In the rental agreement, he mentioned Pune as his hometown and that he was a student of Zoom Technologies at Ameerpet. The agreement also has details of the two others,” Mr Hariram said.
The police have taken a copy of the agreement. The two others were Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chaudhary and Riyaz Bhakal both belonging to the IM. While Ismail stayed with Anique, Riyaz used to visit them often. Police said that Riyaz went to the flat two days before twin blasts. He had earlier visited the city after the Macca Masjid blasts.
“The three assembled the bombs in the flat and placed them at three crowded places,” an official told this correspondent.
The bombs wrapped in gift packets were taken in bags to the locations. While the bomb planted at Dilsukhnagar by Ismail didn’t explode, those planted at Gokul Chat by Riyaz and at Lumbini Park by Anique exploded killing 42 persons.
The three stayed in the flat for two days after the blasts. They also asked Mr Hariram to return the advance rent amount.
A wiser Mr Hariram has now put up a board at the flat: “House for rent. Only for families.”