Mumbai: Suspect held in terror plot was on local cops’ radar

Jan Mohammed Shaikh, alias Sameer Kaliya’s house at Social Nagar in Dharavi, on Wednesday. Pic/Shadab Khan

A Dharavi resident arrested by the Delhi police for allegedly planning terror attacks in many states, including Maharashtra, was on the ATS radar for a long time. Sources said Jan Mohammed Shaikh, alias Sameer Kaliya was in touch with local criminals that extorted money flaunting their underworld connections. During such ‘settlements', Shaikh often introduced himself as "Main bhai ka aadmi hoon", they said.

Shaikh, 47, is among six people held for planning to plant improvised explosive devices in the state, Delhi and UP during festivals. He was picked by the Delhi cops at Kota on Monday while heading for Delhi via Golden Temple Express from Mumbai Central. The Delhi cops said Shaikh was in direct touch with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees Ibrahim. It said Shaikh and another man were to receive sophisticated RDX-based IEDs, grenades, pistols and cartridges from a sleeper cell operative in Delhi.

Jan Mohammed Shaikh

Following Shaikh's arrest, Mumbai was put on high alert. State home minister Dilip Walse Patil also met ATS chief Vineet Agarwal. The ATS boss said Shaikh did have a link with underworld operatives 20 years ago and there is a case of firing against him.

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"Since then, he is on the radar of Maharashtra ATS and he was booked for electricity theft in 2010 and there were also two non-cognisable offences registered against him," Agarwal said. An ATS from the state will be visiting Delhi to question Shaikh, he said.

While Shaikh (top, left) was arrested from Kota, the others were picked up from different locations

Sources in ATS said Shaikh used to coordinate with Fahim Machmach but after his death, he touched base with Anees. "We have been tracking him but our Intelligence says that he was in touch with a different set of people who are into other crimes, like doing settlement in the name of underworld and extortion."

Sources said Shaikh had visited a foreign country in 2019 and they have every single detail of his movement and the person he met. But the agency didn't find his activities suspicious at the time. "We will be sharing all the details and a dossier with our counterparts for smooth coordination and will also take further details which they have on this terror module so we can act accordingly here in Mumbai and Maharashtra," said Agarwal.

Was to travel on Sept 9

ATS officers said Shaikh was supposed to visit Delhi on September 9 but didn't get a confirmed ticket. He borrowed R2,000 from his wife and paid R1,000 to a local travel agent to book a ticket to the national capital. "On Monday he got a confirmation ticket on a train from Mumbai Central. Before he could reach Delhi, he was arrested at Kota in Rajasthan. There were no explosives found in his custody," said Agarwal.

The ATS chief said there is nothing to be worried about and that Mumbai is safe. He said all the arrests were made outside Maharashtra. On the possibility of sleeper cells of Dawood gang planning attacks in cities like Mumbai, the ATS chief said, "The hold of D company is zero today and the ATS is in total control, there is nothing to be worried about."

The Dharavi police on Tuesday also spoke to Shaikh's family. His wife said Shaikh had told her that he was going to meet some friends and would return soon. When she got suspicious, he showed her the ticket to Delhi.

‘Some involved in 1993 blasts are out after serving their sentences'

Sources the city cops have been told to keep a track of the whereabouts and activities of all those people who have been identified on police records as having some links with the gang. A police officer told mid-day that some people involved in the 1993 blasts have come out after serving their sentences. "We are also keeping an eye on their location and movements. If any D-gang related person is not found at his house, then his location has to be traced," said the officer, adding, "Mumbai once had a large number of Dawood workers. He can use the same network for terrorist activities."

Joint CP Law and Order Vishwas Nangre Patil said, "All police stations and special branches of Mumbai have been asked to keep a watch on the location, movement of people associated with Dawood gang."

All six suspects picked from different locations

The Delhi police said all the six people allegedly involved in the terror plot were arrested from different locations. They have been identified as Shaikh, Osama, alias Sami, 22, Moolchand, alias Saaju, alias Lala, Zeeshan Qamar, 28, Mohd Abu Bakar, 23, and Mohd Amir Javed, 31.

"The arrested persons were tasked separately to execute different aspects of the terror plan. The underworld operative Sameer, a close contact of Anees Ibrahim, was tasked by a Pak-based person connected with underworld operatives hiding in Pakistan, to ensure the smooth delivery of IEDs, sophisticated weapons and grenades to different entities in India. Osama and Zeeshan, who are Pakistan-trained terror operatives working under the instructions of Pak-ISI, were tasked to conduct the reconnaissance of different suitable locations in Delhi and UP for placing the IEDs," the Delhi Special Cell had said in a press release.