Why Faizan Azmi is a big catch to nail Indian Mujahideen

The Indian agencies managed yet another breakthrough in cracking the Indian Mujahideen when an operative from Sharjah was deported to India. The man in question is Faizan Ahmed Sultan alias Faizan Azmi, a resident of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, who was allegedly working for the terror outfit from Sharjah.

Azmi, according to the Delhi police, is one of the accused in the 2008 serial blasts in Delhi in which 30 people were killed and 100 others injured. He had played a key role in that attack and was also present at the time of the execution, police sources informed.

He hails from the notorious Azamgarh module of the Indian Mujahideen and is an old timer in the outfit, sources added.

After the 2008 blasts, Azmi left India and moved to Sharjah. Despite being underground for a long time, he still coordinated with the Indian Mujahideen and ran their Gulf operations. He is said to have been closely associated with IM co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and the two used to coordinate regularly, police sources said.

The name of Azmi cropped up for the first time during the interrogation of Salman alias Chotu, also a key operative of the IM. He had spoken about the role he played along with Azmi in the Delhi attacks. However after the serial blasts, Salman first fled to Dubai and later moved to Sharjah, he told his interrogators.

The National Investigation Agency had found more information on Azmi during its Yasin Bhatkal investigations.

Yasin had told the NIA about Azmi and how he had been instrumental in setting up the Azamgarh module. He was a highly charged person who believed in a cause, Yasin had told his interrogators.

Azmi managed to flee India and stayed underground in Dubai and Sharjah for a considerable amount of time. During the past two years, he had become active once again and had been regularly helping the IM with funds and also taking care of the Gulf operatives, it was found.

With the deportation of Azmi, the NIA now hopes to get more information on the Gulf operation of the IM.

“Apart from this they would also look to find out more about his role in the Azamgarh module”, an NIA officer told Rediff.com.

The NIA had a few months back obtained a non bailable arrest warrant against Azmi from the Tees Hazari court in Delhi.