LET man saw Osho Ashram video in Karachi

By U Sudhakar Reddy

Lashkar-e-Tayyaba operative Shaik Khaja, alias Amjad, who was arrested by the state police on January 19, confessed during his interrogation that he had watched the visuals of Osho Ashram while he was in a terror camp in Karachi in Pakistan.
A powerful blast ripped through Pune’s famous German Bakery near the Osho Commune on the city’s North Main Road on Saturday evening, killing 11 people and injuring more than 35. A Jewish prayer centre is also located near the bakery.
The Mumbai Anti Terrorism squad had interrogated Khaja and was in the know of this.
Highly placed sources in the Counter Intelligence cell of the AP police said Khaja confessed that LeT elements had surveyed not just the ashram but also RSS offices in Kolkata and Kanpur and several oil refineries.
A senior cop said that the blast in the German bakery bore resemblance to the Gokul Chat blasts of Hyderabad and could be the handiwork of an Indian Mujahideen module. Khaja was also in contact with Indian Mujahideen chief Amir Reza and met two other terror operatives — Riyaz and Iqbal Baktal — in Karachi after the Gokul blast. Both Riyaz and Iqbal are still at large.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad was put on high alert following the blast and security has been beefed up in the city and the transport terminals. Anti-sabotage checks will be intensified.
The bomb disposal aquad will also increase anti sabotage checks at public gatherings on Sunday.

HUJI and LET operative Khaja has Pakistan passport

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
The city police has booked a separate case for violation of the Passport Act against Shaik Abdul Khaja, an operative of the Lashkare-Tayyaba and Harkat-UlJihad-Al-Islami (HuJI).
Khaja was arrested recently by the special investigation team in connection with the task force suicide bombing and was produced in the Nampally criminal court on Monday after his remand period ended.
Investigators who seized a Pakistani passport and ID card from him said that his links with the ISI were confirmed.
Police said that Khaja had conducted reconnaissance at Ahmedabad to kill the Guarat assistant commissioner of police, Mr Narendra Ameen, after the Gujarat police killed Mujaheed Salim while arresting Moulana Naseeruddin.
He also revealed to the police that he had been in touch with 20 youth from Hyderabad who are part of a terror network spread over Karachi, Dubai and Riyadh.
Police said that in June 2006 Khaja alias Ghore Bhai, a native of Malakpet, obtained a Pakistani passport illegally. He travelled to Dubai, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia using it. Khaja was in regular touch with ISI agents with the mediation of Rasool Khan Patty, a key LeT operative.
"He was was trained in terror camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and in the LeT headquarters in Muridke," said a police source.
Meanwhile teams of the Kolkata police and the National Investigation Agency are arriving in the city to take Khaja into their custody on prisoner transit warrant for his connection with fake currency rackets.
Police sources said he also confessed to have met Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal in Karachi after the blasts triggered by the Indian Mujahideen.
However, Khaja told mediapersons at the court premises that he was not involved in any blasts. "It is all a creation of the police," he said.

Mumbai terror attack anniversary: Double tragedy for Hyderabad victim's family

By U Sudhakar Reddy
For people who lost their loved ones in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks almost a year ago, the pain is yet to go away.
Three persons from the state lost their lives in the attacks, and their family members have not recovered from the shock.
Vijay Rao Banja, the executive chef of Taj Hotel was one of the people killed by the Pakistani terrorists.Delivering a double blow to the family, Vijay's death took a toll on his wife Fareeda, who too died of a heart attack on September 10. The couple is survived by 18year-old son Rohan.
Vijay's mother, Ms Saroja Rao, said, "Fareeda who used to work with blind kids at the Xavier Resource Centre in Mumbai, had been suffering silently.
Fareeda's death is the second tragedy for our family."
Ameena Begum, 20, of Nizamabad too fell prey to the terrorists' bullets at the Chhatrapati Sivaji Terminus (CST) while trying to protect her niece.
Her father, Mr Abdul Rasheed, who also sustained bullet injuries, said they were on their way back after visiting the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. The family says, they miss Ameena each day.
The third victim, Laxminarayan Goel, a chartered accountant, was killed when his taxi was blown up near Vile Parle.
Goel had missed his train and was returning to a relative's home. Goel is survived by his wife and four daughters.

India's bioterror law has 33 germs

U. SUDHAKAR REDDY
The government has decided to include 33 microorganisms including virus, bacteria and fungi which could be used to wage biological terror attacks, in the new Epidemic Diseases ActExperts have identified 16 viruses, 15 bacteria and two fungi as potential bio-terror threats. These include agents causing anthrax, small pox, plague, cholera and botulism. Enterotoxins (toxins released inside the body by microorganisms) and mycotoxins (poisonous substances produced by fungii) are also listedUnder the new law, the government can notify an area as affected, restrict movement of people or quarantine them, enter any premises to take samples of suspected materialsThe bill lists 33 epidemicprone diseases like kala azar, chikungunya, yellow fever, food poisoning, HIV/AIDSThe move to amend the 112-year-old legislation gained momentum follow ing the outbreak of swine flu recently, and avian flu and Severe Acute Respi ratory Syndrome earlierThe Centre is in touch with the state health depart ment to suggestions to make the new legislation, to be known as the Public Health Act, more stringentAn official of health department said the Epidemic Act of 1897 is to be replaced by the new act The threat of bio-terrorism is also to be addressed in this act,” the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the Indian Council of Medical Research have played a key role in drafting the billThe guidelines to fight bioterror were framed by the National Disaster Management Authority has issued guidelines to fight bioterroism. The National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) at Hakimpet and the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) at Ramanthapur in the city are already involved in training the fight against bio-terrorThe CFSL has created a laboratory facility for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare and is equipped to meet any eventuality arising of a bioterror attack. NISA has been training law enforcing agencies on fight biochemical attacks.