18 February,2009 09:34 AM IST | | Ketan Ranga
Abdush Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqir, who has been under the scanner since the July 2006 train blasts in Mumbai, has become the head of the Student Islamic Moment of India (SIMI).
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On the run: Tauqir is wanted by the state and Delhi police |
The Mira Road resident, who is believed to have had a part in all the blasts carried out by the Indian Mujahideen (IM) in the country, took over after Kayamuddin Kapadia, alias Moosa, arrest on November 29 last year in the blasts cases.
Becaming SIMI head
In his statement to the Delhi police, Moosa said he had joined SIMI in 2003. SIMI then got divided into two groups one led by Sahid Badar and another by Safdar Nagori. Moosa and Tauqir were part of the Nagori faction, which got involved in terrorist activities.u00a0
According to the IM chargesheet, Moosa revealed that after Nagori's arrest, he and Tauqir took command of their faction of SIMI. But with Moosa's arrest Tauqir took over as the sole leader.
Links with IM blasts
The chargesheet reiterates that the IM is a joint outfit of LeT and SIMI. The collaboration brought Tauqir and Moosa in touch with Riyaz Bhatkal the main accused in the IM blasts cases. Through Bhatkal, they met Atif Ameen, who was killed in the Delhi encounter on September 19.
Moosa and Ameen went on to plan the Delhi blasts and Tauqir kept in touch with them throughout.
Tauqir was also acquainted with Mohd Sadiq Sheikh, the co-founder of IM. Sadiq, who was earlier with the SIMI, had joined Bhatkal and Amir Raza to formed Indian Mujahideen.
How he evades arrest
Though wanted by the Maharashtra and Delhi police, Tauqir has managed to evade arrest so far. In fact, when Nagori was arrested in March last year in Indore, Tauqir had left the place only a few minutes before the police arrived.
He never tells his associates about his whereabouts and contact numbers, nor does he call anyone through mobile phones.
