 | « Back to article | Print this article |
This chilling piece of information was revealed by arrested Lashkar terrorists Riazzuddin Nasir and Sabahuddin Ahmed, sources in the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency, and Intelligence Bureau, the domestic intelligence agency, told this correspondent.
While Nasir was arrested in Karnataka in connection with last July's Ahmedabad serial blasts, Sabahuddin is currently in the Mumbai police's custody for his alleged links with the terror attacks in the city.
A group of five women, trained by the Lashkar, will conduct a survey in chosen Indian cities to gather information for the strikes, the sources added.
The women are in the 19 to 23 age group, the sources said. They will be provided forged identification papers to help them secure jobs in India.
During his interrogation, Nasir, who was trained at the same terror camp in Pakistan, revealed that Lashkar had created the women's wing -- the Daur-e-Sofa -- before the terror attacks on Mumbai.
The women undergo a 21-day training programme where they are taught use of arms and ammunition, how to work under cover and the intricacies of maritime operations, Sabahuddin Ahmed disclosed.
Khalida Akthar, who was arrested in Srinagar last year for her links with the Lashkar, had earlier revealed that a Pakistani woman named Umi Hamad is in charge of training members of the Daur-e-Sofa.