"While their neck-deep association with SIMI was an established fact, what we were currently investigating was the possibility of their nexus with Pakistani espionage agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, Lucknow senior superintendent of police Anil Agarwal said.

"The confessions made by the arrested youth have provided sufficient clues to establish that SIMI was out to expand its tentacles in Uttar Pradesh once again,” he said.

Harish Kumar, superintendent of police [west], who was largely responsible for laying the dragnet to nab the SIMI activists said, "thanks to the increasing computer literacy among cops that we were able to promptly decipher the information contained in the CDs found in the possession of Obaid Ullah, the first youth to be picked up by the police."

It was Obaid Ullah's confession that led to the arrest of yet another youth, Arif , who had late come all the way from Allahabad to meet him as per a prior appointment.

Obaid hailed from Siddharth nagar district along the Indo-Nepal border in Eastern UP and was staying in a rented accomodation in Lucknow's walled city. Police recovered incriminating SIMI literature from his possession.

Arif was described as a student of Unani Medicine at the College of Unani Medicine, Deoband, in Saharanpur district, that is known as a major centre of Islamic learning. Obaid Ullah was pursuing MA in Arabic at the Lucknow University.

Both Arif and Obaid were currently being gripped by the special task force, which has sufficient expertise in busting the ISI network in the state.