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Intelligence reports state that the Indian Mujahideen may look to target New Delhi on Republic Day. The Delhi Police is out looking for IM operative Raju Bhai, who could be crucial to averting a disaster. Vicky Nanjappa reports
The Delhi Police has launched a massive operation to nab an Indian Mujahideen terrorist named Raju Bhai following an alert stating that the national capital could be a possible target on Republic Day.
Most IM operatives, who have been interrogated about Raju, know nothing beyond his name.
The terrorist's name first cropped up six months ago during investigations into the Pune serial blasts. It was in fact the Delhi Police which cracked this case following the arrest of Imran Khan, Asad Khan and Syed Feroz.
Initially, the Delhi Police thought that Raju was an alias for fugitive IM founder Yasin Bhatkal. However, today they say that he is a Pakistani national operating in India as a liaison between the IM and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
Raju is said to have set up few modules in Delhi along with two other Pakistani nationals -- Shaqir and Ahmed.
He also arranged for the logistics in the Pune blasts besides helping Shaqir and Ahmed find accommodation in Delhi so that they could go about their work.
The police today have intercepts of the conversations between Raju and the rest of the module members, and they were found to be speaking in Urdu.
However, it appears that the Delhi Police were a bit late on their trail of Raju.
The last intelligence received on him was in November, which suggested that he was still in Delhi. However, it now appears that he could have slipped out.
According to sources, Raju was in India to oversee the setting up an IM base, coordinate the Pune blasts and devising a plan to carry out explosions during the Republic Day.
The Delhi Police have set up 400 spotters across the city to prevent any attack on Republic Day.
The intelligence input that we have suggests that there are five Pakistani nationals who are in India in order to oversee this attack, police sources told rediff.com.
They may be planning an attack around the Republic Day and it is not necessary that they may try and strike on D-Day, sources add.