Hyderabad police thwart terror plot in city

Three arrested, consignment of four hand grenades from Pakistan seized from them

The Hyderabad city police, in a major operation to thwart proposed terrorist attacks in the city, on Sunday arrested a person who is an accused in past terrorist incidents and his two fresh recruits.

The police also seized a consignment of four grenades from the Malakpet residence of Abdul Zahed, who reportedly revived his contacts with Pakistani ISI conduits to carry out sensational terror attacks in Hyderabad.

“Abdul Zahed in his confession has revealed that Farhatulla Ghori, Abu Hamzala and Majeed revived their contacts with him and they have motivated and financed him to recruit and carry out terror attacks in Hyderabad again. At the behest of Pakistan-based handlers, Zahed recruited Samiuddin and Maaz Hasan,” the police stated.

“During the search, four hand grenades which Zahed has received from his Pakistan-based handlers were recovered. He was planning to hurl these hand grenades targeting public gatherings through his group members, thereby causing terror and communal tension in the city,” the police said, and added that these persons have been conspiring to cause terror acts, including blasts and lone wolf attacks in the city.

Abdul Zahed alias Motu, 39, as per police’s preliminary investigation, has been in regular touch with Pakistani ISI-LeT handlers. In the past, he was involved in terror related cases in Hyderabad such as the suicide attack on the City Police Commissioner’s Task Force Office, Begumpet, in 2005.

Three other accused persons in that case, Farhatullah Ghori alias FG, Siddique Bin Osman alias Rafique alias Abu Hamzala, Abdul Majeed alias Chotu, all hailing from Hyderabad, also wanted in several other terror cases, have been absconding and finally settled in Pakistan, the police said. They are now working under the aegis of ISI.

In the past, they recruited local youth, radicalised them and executed terror attacks such as the blast near Saibaba Temple, Dilsukhnagar in 2002, bus blast at Ghatkopar in Mumbai, and the suicide attack on Task Force office, Begumpet in 2005. They had also attempted to cause blasts near Ganesh Temple, Secunderabad in 2004.

The two new recruits Mohd. Sameeuddin alias Abdul Sami, 39, a businessman is from Sayeedabad and Maaz Hasan Farooq alias Maaz, 29, is a resident of Humayun Nagar, Mehdipatnam.

The police, as part of searches on Sunday, recovered two hand grenades, ₹3,91,800 cash and two mobile phones from Zahed, a hand grenade, ₹1.50 lakh cash, a mobile phone, a motorcycle from Sameeuddin, and one hand grenade and a mobile phone from Maaz.