NIA files first chargesheet against IM

Nailing Indian Mujahideen (IM) and its operatives for continuously plotting terror operations in the country, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed its first IM chargesheet in the court laying bare its modest origins in 2003 to present pan-India penetration.

Out of the five terror operatives charged by the NIA, two - Mohammad Danish Ansari alias Waheb (Darbhanga) and Mohammad Aftab Alam alias Farooq (Purnea) are from Bihar, two others - Imran Khan alias Zakaria (Nanded) and Syed Maqbool alias Zubair (Nanded) are from Maharashtra and the fifth is Obaid ur Rehman who is from Hyderabad.

Though, IM top leaders - Iqbal Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal, Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar Haddi, Ariz Khan and Tehseen Akhtar have not been named in the chargesheet but their roles in the growth in the IM have been mentioned in the chargesheet, said sources.

"We are chasing the IM and its top leaders all over the country. Some of them like Iqbal and Riyaz have taken shelter in Pakistan but others like Yasin and Tehseen are still in India and probably planning more terror acts," said an investigator.

"Indian Mujahideen and its operatives are prime suspect in the two recent operations-the Dilsukhnagar blasts of Hyderbad and Bodh Gaya serial blasts. It is suspected that Yasin Bhatkal was one of the planters in Dilsukhnagar," said a source.

Investigators say it looks that a group of three to four persons planted the improvised explosives devices in Bodh Gaya as the CCTV footage shows one suspect dressed like a monk had a rucksack in which was quite heavy. He at least planted four IEDs. In total 13 IEDs were planted in Bodh Gaya.

"The suspect was moving anti-clockwise in the Buddhist temple, but all monks go clockwise. Many eyewitnesses noticed this peculiar aspect which helped the NIA to get his sketch made," said the source.