The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against Shaikh Abdul Nayeem, 37, an alleged operative of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who escaped from police custody in 2014.
The NIA filed the report against Nayeem and nine others for allegedly trying to revive the terror outfit’s activities in India on the directions of Pakistan-based handlers.
Nayeem, a resident of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, was arrested in Lucknow last year. He is an accused in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case, and was arrested by the West Bengal police in 2007 while trying to cross over to India from Bangladesh with two Pakistanis and one Kashmiri. The NIA said he escaped from police custody in Chhattisgarh while he was being taken by train to Mumbai in 2014 for production in a case.
The agency said Nayeem received funds from the main operatives of LeT in Pakistan and the UAE and used it to establish hideouts and recruit cadres. “Besides Abdullah Rashid of Pakistan, Nayeem was also in touch with two other LeT operatives based in Saudi Arabia: Javed, a resident of Muzaffarnagar (U.P.) and Habib-ur Rahman, a resident of Kendrapara in Odisha... Nayeem established hideouts at various places, including Varanasi, Gopalganj, Cuttack and Delhi,” an NIA statement said.
Three other accused, Bedar Bakht alias Dhannu Raja and Towseef Ahmad Malik alias Tipu allegedly helped Nayeem with shelter, logistics, mobile phones and SIMs. “Nayeem also visited Kashmir during May-June 2017. There, he contacted active Pakistani LeT terrorists namely Abu Maaz and Abu Muslim and stayed at the home of accused Towseef Ahmad Malik in Pulwama on many occasions. He introduced himself to accused Malik as Hamid from Pakistan. He motivated Malik to work for
the LeT. Tauseef shared his mobile numbers with Nayeem and they subsequently met at Banda in UP where the former was studying. He provided shelter and food to the Nayeem at his hostel room in July-August 2017, knowing fully well that he is a terrorist of LeT. He also helped him to identify potential recruits in and around that area,” NIA said.
NIA said Nayeem carried out reconnaissance of hotels, restaurants and other places frequented by the Jews, Israeli tourists, in and around Tosh, and Kasol at Kullu
in Himachal Pradesh for carrying out “jihadi activities”. “He recorded the videos of these places on his mobile and typed coded messages on his mobile to be sent to his handlers in Pakistan,” NIA said.
NIA said that during investigation, the role of Abdul Samad, a hawala operator, based in Muzaffarnagar was established who in connivance with Gul Nawaz, based in the Saudi Arabia; Dinesh Garg alias Ankit and Adish Kumar Jain, both Jewellers by profession received, collected and delivered funds received from the Saudi Arabia to Nayeem.
