The duo arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in the German Bakery blast case had plans to target sensitive places in Nashik, a senior ATS officer said on Monday. Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain Farid alias Bilal had already conducted a recce of the Maharashtra Police Academy, the Police Commissioner Office and the Army camp at Deolali in Nashik on the instructions of Himayat Baig.
“We have charged them with preparing to commit a terrorist act. We nabbed them as they were preparing to commit the crime,” he said. The ATS had seized 2 kg of RDX, Lashkar-e-Taiba literature, soldering wires, cutters, booklets on bomb-making, SIM cards, fake documents, mobile phones, pen drives and $ 1,300 and Rs.10,500 in cash from Bilal.
Asked whether small towns in Maharashtra were the targets of terrorists, the ATS officer said the State was on the radar of terrorists. “Maharashtra is the target.”
In touch with handlers
Bilal had started conducting the recce of Nashik since May 2010. Baig, mastermind behind the German Bakery blast, had been getting the work done from Bilal even as he remained out of sight. Baig was also in touch with his Pakistani handlers.
When Bilal clandestinely entered India in May 2010, he was given $1,400 and Rs. 10,500 in cash.
Within a week of the German Bakery blast, Baig received Rs. 50,000 from Mohsin Chaudhary and Mohammad Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa alias Yasin alias Shah Rukh, both wanted LeT operatives. “They had met somewhere outside Pune,” the officer said.
Baig had anyway been regularly receiving funds for his terror activities. “He had opened a bank account in Udgir (Latur district) in some other person's name, and operated it with the consent of that person.” But the officer refused to divulge more details.
Yasin was roped in to carry out the blast as he was from outside Pune.
