Exposed! 26/11 terrorist had links with city oil mafia

Crime Branch officials say they are investigating whether arrested diesel don had helped LeT operative David Headley decide landing spot for 26/11

Crime Branch officials say they are investigating whether arrested diesel don had helped LeT operative David Headley decide landing spot for 26/11
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The David Coleman Headley saga continues to spring surprises. It has now emerged that the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, who has confessed to carrying out reconnaisance missions in Mumbai prior to the 26/11 attacks, had links with the city's oil mafia too.

Headley (above) confessed to the NIA that he had been in touch with Mohammad Ali

During interrogations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last year, Headley had confessed that he was in touch with infamous diesel smuggler Mohammad Ali Abu Sheikh, who is currently cooling his heels in prison for allegedly murdering police informer Sayyed Chand Madar.

The input about Headley's oil mafia links was passed on by NIA officials to the Mumbai Police recently and senior cops say they are now investigating Ali's terror links.

Sources from the crime branch said Headley had befriended Ali and used to talk to him frequently over phone. They are now trying to dig out Ali's phone records to ascertain the number of calls exchanged between the duo.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy refused to comment on Headley's mafia links stating, "I cannot comment on it since the matter is with the NIA." He did, however, confirm that they are trying to find out whether Ali has any nexus with terrorists.

"Since Ali is well versed with sea routes it is possible for him to have helped Headley in deciding which part of the coast the terrorists should choose to land during 26/11.

We have been scrutinising Ali's phone records and are also questioning people related to him," a crime branch officer said, requesting anonymity.

Ocean king
The 56-year-old Ali is widely acknowledged as Mumbai's biggest diesel don and is known as Akkha samundar ka badshah in underworld circles.
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Investigators have found that his iron-fisted control over diesel smuggling was aided by his connections with top policemen and customs officials.

Ali is currently lodged in Arthur Road Jail for his role in Madar Chand's gunning down on September 15 last year and he has been booked under the stringent MCOCA provisions.

During NIA's interrogation of Headley last year, he had confessed that he was in touch with diesel smuggler Mohammad Ali Sheikh, who is behind bars for allegedly murdering police informer Chand Madar last year. MiD DAY's story on the city's thriving illegal fuel racket

He is also suspected to have orchestrated the murder of another police informer Salim Langda alias Salim Chor, who was knocked down by a dumper near Darukhana near Sewree.

Cops questioned him to get leads on the murder of MiD DAY's investigations editor J Dey as well. Dey had reported extensively on diesel smuggling off Mumbai's shores.

Expose
In May this year, J Dey had exposed in MiD DAY how the Rs 10,000-crore diesel smuggling racket involved everybody from international mariners to local politicians.
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This bootlegged diesel, which is sometimes mixed with naphtha and kerosene is sold to fishermen and dubious petrol pump owners, who, in turn, sell it to motorists at market prices.

Two, and counting
Ali is Headley's second contact in Mumbai to have landed in controversy over alleged terror links after the LeT operative revealed his links with them.

Headley had earlier confessed that he was in touch with Sena activist Rajaram Rege since 2008.
He had only met Rege twice, but the duo had exchanged dozens of e-mails.