A suspected SIMI operative and an aide of Indian Mujahideen media in-charge have been arrested from Secunderabad, with police saying that they were allegedly planning to go to Afghanistan to get training from Al Qaeda for carrying out terror activities in India.
Police also claimed to have seized literature on explosives formula, a 16 GB pen drive containing literature in terror activities among other things from the Maharashtra youths.
One of them was identified as Shah Mudassir alias Talha, who runs a general store at Umerkhed and is a member of SIMI, police claimed.
Even after ban on the organisation in 2001, Talha became a member of the Association of Indian Minority Students which is a front organisation of Students Islamic Movement of India.
The other youth is identified as Shoeb Ahmed Khan alias Tariq Bhai of Hingoli district and is an associate of Mansoor Ali Peerboy (Media in-charge of Indian Mujahideen, Pune Module), police said.
"He (Tariq) is also a close friend of Mudassir," police said.
Mudassir and Shoeb came to Hyderabad and got down in Secunderabad. As their movements were suspicious, they were taken into custody.
A case is registered with Gopalapuram police station under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IT Act. "They have been arrested and sent in judicial custody," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone) R Jaya Lakshmi said.
When asked about Billah and two other citizens from Hyderabad, the DCP told PTI: "I can only say they are not in our custody. The investigations are still going on."
"Both these persons are adept in using social networks in propagating Jihad and both of them are having several Facebook accounts," the DCP said in a release on Wednesday night.
During Facebook chats they came in contact with Abu Saif and Kamaran Sha, both of Pakistan, Zahid Al Hindi, a native of Afghanistan, and Mir Showkath, Sameer Khan and Mothasim Billah-- all residents of Saidabad area here, the DCP said.
Billah is a former SIMI member and son of Islahi, a Hyderabad-based Islamic scholar.
"During Facebook chats, Zahid Al Hindi and Mothasim Billah used to motivate them frequently. Once Kamaran Sha of Pakistan shared literature through Facebook on explosives wherein three methods of explosive manufacturing from the locally and easily available chemicals were narrated," the officer said.
Through the literature Kamaran Sha motivated Mudassir and Shoeb to manufacture bombs and carry out blasts in Maharashtra and told them that he will "feel happy to see the news of triggering bomb blasts in India," according to police.
Billah, who came in contact with Mudassir and Shoeb through Facebook, asked them to visit Hyderabad. Accordingly, the duo visited Hyderabad on September 3 and met him.
Billah motivated them to go to Afghanistan to get training from Al Qaeda in order to wage Jihad in India to establish Islamic state, the DCP said.
"Billah even expressed that he will extended financial support for VISA processing and asked Mudassir and Shoeb to come after October 10," the senior police officer said.
Accordingly, Mudassir and Shoeb visited Hyderabad in order to meet Billah and to take guidance from him in getting VISA and on external contacts.
As per the request of Billah, Mudassir and Shoeb brought literature on explosives as well about the SIMI.
The explosive literature was coded as "Hyderabadi Biryani", the DCP said, adding that they also brought a cover page for a book "Jihad Kya Hai' authored by Billah's father Islahi.
On their search, police recovered literature on explosive formula, a 16 GB pen drive containing Jihadi literature besides cell phones, passports, ATM cards, Voter ID cards and three CDs containing militant training programmes and Zahed Al Hindi's speech, police said.
