Ahmed was recruiting for new terror module, suspects ATS

Mumbra terror suspect kept low profile, occasionally sold popsicles; co-accused supplied eggs to shops

Thane, 20/04/2017: Suspect ISIS operative Nazim Shamshed Ahmed, arrested from his residence at Samadhan building in Faisal compound, early morning. Photo: Poonam Shinde

Mumbai: Terror suspect Nazim Ahmed, who was arrested from Mumbra early on Thursday in a joint operation by the Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS), could have been recruiting youth from the area to form a terror module on the lines of the one in U.P.

State ATS officers said Ahmed, 26, is suspected to be the head of an alleged terror module based in Bijnor, U.P. They said Ahmed had come to Mumbra around a year ago and was sharing a flat with a local resident, identified only as Gulfam till now. He and a friend of Ahmed who had arrived from Bijnor recently have been arrested as well. They were staying with Ahmed in his flat, the police said.

“We have preliminary information to indicate that Ahmed was planning some terrorist activity in Maharashtra, and he would have needed local support for such an operation. We have several teams working in Mumbra to identify names and addresses of Mumbra residents with whom Ahmed was in touch. This will help us ascertain if he was recruiting or attempting to do so to form a new module,” a State ATS officer said.

‘Friend’s arrest a bonus’

Calling the arrest of Ahmed’s friend a ‘bonus’, ATS officers said didn’t know he was in Mumbra till they raided the flat. “The timing is suspicious, as this friend came to Mumbra around the time we received information about possible terrorist activity being planned by Ahmed. We are investigating if he was planning to participate in terrorist activities. Gulfam is being questioned to find out if he knew about or had participated in Ahmed’s activities,” an officer said. He added that cash totalling a five-digit number had been seized during the raid on Ahmed’s residence, and the money’s source is being probed.

While Ahmed will be taken to UP after obtaining a transit remand from the Thane court, Gulfam and the other suspect will be questioned by the Maharashtra ATS till their involvement is either confirmed or ruled out.

Reclusive resident

Residents of Rashid Compound, where the arrested trio were staying in Samadhan Apartments, said Ahmed kept a low profile, and not many people remember interacting with him. They added it was unclear what Ahmed did for a living, besides selling popsicles in Mumbra occasionally. “Gulfam used to supply eggs to bakeries and grocery shops in the area. It was only when we did not get our daily supply of eggs that we learned he had been picked arrested,” Sajid Ahmed, who runs a bakery near Samadhan Apartments, said.