Bilal assumed Hindu identity

Suspected LeT man adopted Hindu name 3 months before arrest in Nashik

Shaikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain alias Bilal, the alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative arrested along with Mirza Himayat Baig in the German Bakery blast case, had assumed a fake identity by the name of Prashant in Nashik, three months prior to his arrest on September 7.


Inside view: The room the ATS says Bilal rented during his stay in
Nashik after he had assumed a Hindu identity. The room, in which Bilal
even hung a picture of a goddess (circled), has been sealed by the ATS

Bilal had allegedly done a recce of the army Deolali Camp and the Maharashtra Police Academy besides other religious places in and around Nashik.u00a0
The other fake identities assumed by the 27-year-old Bilal were Amin Manik Parekh and Sutar Iqbal.

Rented room
Bilal assumed a Hindu identity since January, and stayed on rental basis at a room owned by an elderly woman Gangubai Gulve during his three-month stay in Nashik's Gangapur area.u00a0 During his stay, Bilal worked as CNC lathe machine operator in Satpur industrial area and used to work in shifts.

When this reporter visited Gulve's house, she said that Bilal had approached her and enquired about taking a room on rent. Gulve agreed to give one of her rooms on rent for Rs 800 per month.

"He (Bilal) told us that his name is Prashant. He had a bag with him, but we thought that it would be his clothes. He had also put up a picture of a goddess. We never imagined that he would be involved in any subversive activities," Gulve said.

"He never interacted with anyone and used to stay alone. He used to step out of the house early and would tell us that he's going to work in a company," Gulve added.

"On the night of September 7, some police officers came to our house and picked up Bilal. After he was taken away, local police came to our house and took information about the other tenants too," Gulve recalled.

Congman's denial
A police source said: "Bilal had got a domicile certificate from a local Congress corporator Dinkar Dharmaji Patil. Bilal got his job on the basis of this domicile certificate which mentioned that he was staying in the Gangapur area since many years."

Corporator Patil said: "Many such certificates are issued every day. I am not at all aware about Bilal's activities. No police officer has contacted me or enquired about the certificate issued."

Police Commissioner of Nashik Vishnudev Mishra said, "We have asked the Nashik Mayor to instruct the 108
corporators to issue domicile and character certificates to candidates from their constituencies only after verifying their credentials."