Indian Homeland Security Watch

[Pintu]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...al-Guru-in-apex-court/articleshow/5977180.cms

No petition from Afzal Guru in apex court
26 May 2010, 1716 hrs IST,IANS

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has not received any petition from Afzal Guru, who has been sentenced to death over the terrorist attack on the Indian parliament, court sources said Wednesday.

The sources said the Supreme Court registry had only got a letter from him in February 2010 pleading for an expeditious execution of his death sentence.

The court registry communicated to Afzal Guru that there was a set procedure to approach the top court from jail. He was told he should file a proper petition and route it through the jail superintendent.

Since then Afzal Guru has not sent any communication to the Supreme Court, they said.

The 40-year-old was convicted for being a key plotter of the 2001 attack that killed 13 people in the high-security parliament.

Guru, a medicine and surgical instrument dealer in Jammu and Kashmir, was sent to the death row in 2002. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence a year later.

The sentence was scheduled to be carried out Oct 20, 2006 but his execution was stayed after his wife sought clemency from the president.

 

[RAM]

India's Anti-Terror Strategy Needs Change: Guj Official

Gujarat Police need to change their attitude and strategy to effectively counter terrorism, which has become a global menace, a senior State Government official said today.

"Security scenario all over the globe has undergone major changes on account of a series of terrorist-related incident in different parts of the world in the last 10-15 years," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Balwant Singh said."Therefore, it is important to be prepared and equip ourselves to effectively deal with such a situation."Singh was speaking at a conference on 'Building Secure Cities in Troubled Times' here."Security scenario in the world in general and in India in particularly calls for a paradigm shift in the way we think and act. There is a need for a major change in attitude, approach and strategy," Singh noted.

Talking about Gujarat, he said the fact that the state has a land border of 500km with Pakistan and a coastline of 1,600km, makes it vulnerable to terror threats.
"(Gujarat) Police force, apart from the specialised forces that we have created, also need to undergo a change in their attitude, preparedness and strength in order to deal with the emerging problem of terrorism," he said."Keeping this in mind, we have decided to strengthen all police training institutions."The Gujarat Government has proposed to set up a commando training centre and specialised training facility for personnel of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), which would become operational in in the next 1-2 years, Singh said.

Intelligence apparatus would be strengthened in Gujarat, the official said. "Prevention should be our first objective. If we want to foil any terrorist attempt, intelligence has to be of the highest order. Also, there has to be a good coordination among all intelligence agencies.""The State Government has also proposed to set up specialised intelligence training centres. We are in touch with the Union Government which has promised that one regional intelligence centre would be set up in the western part of the country," he said.

Listing the state's other initiatives to deal with terrorism, Singh said the government was planning to set up quick response teams (QRT) and BDS in every commissionarate and district headquarters of Gujarat.The vulnerability of Gujarat coastline was exposed after the 26/11 attacks, he said. "Keeping the long coastline of Gujarat in mind we have set up Marine Police Organisation. At present we have 10 marine police stations and in the next two years, we plan to add 15 more."Gujarat has 18 high-speed interceptor boats and about 45 more were expected to be deployed in the next couple of years, Singh added.

Besides the marine police, it has been decided to raise a battalion of marine commandos which would act as a third line of security of the coastal areas after the Navy and the Coast Guard, the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) said.Role of private security agencies also needs a major change in the current situation, Singh said."Very soon we are going to insist on proper training and orientation of people who are recruited by the private security agency."Training of private security personnel was a matter of concern which needs to be looked into, he added.

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?683228

 

[ajtr]

Fake passport industry thrives in Gulf with links in Kerala​

Abdul Latheef Naha & Biju Govind
12 passengers on the ill-fated aircraft secured passports through fraudulent means

More people travelling via Mangalore airport to Gulf following stringent steps at Calicut airport

MALAPPURAM/Kozhikode: The tragedy in Mangalore that killed 158 passengers on board an Air India flight on Saturday has brought to light a major fake passport and visa racket operating via travel agencies.

Officials have detected that 12 passengers who travelled in the aircraft had secured passports from the Kozhikode Passport Office through fraudulent means, thereby making matters worse in the identification of the deceased and their insurance claims.

A fake passport industry has been flourishing in the Gulf with links in Kerala, particularly in Kasaragod district, for more than two decades. In local parlance it is known as the "Kasaragod embassy" that provides forged passports, visas and travel documents to unemployed youth to secure jobs in the Gulf. Trafficking of women is also done via manpower recruitment agencies, Immigration officials said.

The parallel racket in the Gulf helps expatriates stranded in these nations to return to the State after being ill-treated by employers. The beneficiaries will have to pay a fee of 3,000 to 10,000 dirham to obtain forged passports. This happens when employers in the Gulf confiscate the passport of workers on their arrival.

Some job-seekers from Kerala are driven to such situations in the Gulf where they find no alternative but to sell their passports to members of the racket. "A passport with at least some months of validity fetches up to Rs.25,000 in Saudi Arabia," said Kammu Kutty, an expatriate who was once detained by the Indian emigration authorities.

When some people sell their passports, the documents of some others are stolen or robbed by Malayali gangs.

Many youngsters reaching Mecca on Umra pilgrimage still continue to go underground by foregoing their passports.

"Some victims caught at the airport had told us that they paid 5,000 riyal or dirham to get a passport to travel back home," said K. Salim, Emigration Dy. SP, Calicut International Airport, Karipur.

Photos substituted

Impersonation and photo substitution are the illegal means adopted. "These days we have groups replacing the entire jacket of the passport and photographs. Still, a person from north Malabar travelling on a fake passport can be easily identified," said Mr. Salim.

In some cases, people with similar looks and features were found to be travelling on old passports with just a few months' validity remaining. According to emigration officers, such cases are difficult to detect.

The number of those travelling via the Mangalore airport to the Gulf has increased in recent times following stringent measures adopted by Immigration officials at the Calicut airport. At least 40 persons were arrested at the airport till May this year for travelling with forged passports.

Mr. Salim said action was sought against nearly 300 persons for suspected cases of tampering with passports.

The number of persons arrested on charge of possessing fake passport was 40 in 2009 and 52 in 2008. A majority of the cases were from Kasaragod district, he said.

Normally, cases are handed over to the Crime Detachment Cell or the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department.

One of the major cases is making a forged passport (the same mechanism adopted in printing counterfeit currency notes). More than two years ago, a Kasaragod native was arrested with 31 Indian passports at the Calicut airport.

Kozhikode Passport Officer K.P. Madhusoodanan said random checks were done at the office even after the police verification. But it would be a Herculean task to further verify the documents as the office catering to districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram obtained on average 17,000 to 18,000 applications a month.

Incidentally, the police arrested a Pakistani national and Al-Badr militant Mohammed Fahad for securing an Indian passport via a travel agency from the Kozhikode Passport Office four years ago.

 

[ajtr]

Ammunition seized from Italians' hotel room in Delhi​

Staff Reporter
Two empty magazines were also recovered by housekeeping staff
— Photo: PTI

In trouble:Giulio Pometto, detained at the Mumbai Airport, being questioned in connection with the ammunition seizure from his room in a Delhi hotel, on Thursday.
NEW DELHI: Three Italians were detained here on Thursday after ammunition and two empty magazines were found in a five-star hotel room, where they stayed earlier this week.

Two of them, Giovani Cecconello and Donato Dngello, were detained in Pune and Giulio Pometto was held by immigration officials at the Mumbai airport.

Twenty-four live cartridges and two magazines of Italian make were found in their hotel room on May 24. Their hotel is located near the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The ammunition was found by the staff a few hours after the three, all in their 40s, checked out in the morning.

"The cartridges and magazines were recovered after the housekeeping staff went into the room for cleaning up. The staff heard a strange sound emanating from the air-conditioner and informed their seniors. A mechanic was then called, and he found two polythene bags inside the machine. One of them contained the cartridges and the other had empty magazines and two springs," a senior police officer said.

Soon after Virender Singh Raghav, in charge of security in the hotel, reported the matter to the police, a case was registered under the Arms Act at the Vasant Kunj (South) station.

The police checked the closed-circuit television camera footage and the footage of baggage scanner. Suspecting their involvement, the police issued a 'Look Out Circular,' and the three were traced in Maharashtra.

As per the hotel records, the three had checked in at 00.30 a.m. on May 24 and left eight hours later. They work for a petrochemical company in Italy.

A joint team of the Special Cell and the South Delhi Police has been despatched to Maharashtra to interrogate them. "It is yet to be established whether the ammunition and the magazines belong to them. The three have been detained for questioning, as they were the last persons to check out. We have sought the records of those who stayed in the room during the past two months," the officer said.

In February, two British nationals were caught in the same hotel for aircraft spotting. They were booked under different sections of the Telegraph Act, but let off later.

 

[ajtr]

Mangalore plane crash brings fake passports scam to fore​

Kasaragod, the northernmost district of Kerala, is yet to overcome the grief and shock caused by last Saturday's airplane crash at Bajpe airport, Mangalore, in which 158 lives were lost. Fifty-four Malayalees were killed when the Dubai-Mangalore Air India Express flight jumped off the table-top runway into the 300-feet valley and 51 of them hailed from this district.

Kasaragod indeed is in Kerala, but the people who had migrated from here to the Gulf in the past 50 years have always considered Mangalore, just 75 km away, as their airport city. People of Kasaragod had started migrating to the Gulf in the 1950s when Malaysia and Singapore began to lose their charm and the Arabian countries started to thrive on the fossil fuels. Whatever progress this region has achieved has been founded on the fortunes these people brought from the oil fields of those deserts.

In those years of hardship, several migrants had no time or resources to go through the tedious tasks needed for getting proper travel documents before they boarded the Machuas and launches that would drop them off the Arabian coast. These people did not care whether they were breaking the law but they began to respect it when they had the opportunity for that. But as the rush of migrants to the treasure land increased phenomenally in the 1970s, rackets that 'organised' travel documents began to flourish — in Kerala as well as in the Gulf. And they still operate. That is how the authorities came across at least seven victims of the Mangalore plane crash who had travelled on forged passports or had been keeping more than one passports. As the finding had come amidst a very shocking accident which pushed an entire region into unimaginable pain, the authorities rightly chose not to make a big issue out of it but they had to solve several problems at hand.

"These passports pose cases of right names with wrong addresses and therefore assumed identities," said a travel agent in Kasaragod. "Since official procedures have to go through proper channels and everything needs to be done on the basis of documents, the authorities would now be forced to take at least some actions that could be termed as harmless in terms of law as compensation has to be paid to the families of the victims. But the authorities know that these victims, who used forged passports for their fatal trip, were also victims of avaricious rackets comprising manpower agents and sponsors," he said. Even Ministers have already said that everything possible would be done to ensure that compensation is paid to the victims' families irrespective of the passport mix-ups. That the forgery had caused a lot of delay in properly identifying the victims but that problem has been solved to a great extent. However, the forgery of passports used by travellers from Dubai to Kasaragod through Mangalore has prompted the Intelligence, police and emigration and immigration authorities to be more vigilant about the practice.

The police in Kerala have always known of the existence of passport manufacturing units called 'Kasaragod embassies' in the various Gulf countries. These rackets could produce passports of any country — but mostly Indian passports — in virtually no time. The name, Kasaragod embassies, was given to these rackets on the assumption (erroneously, in several cases) that they were being run by people from this district. The passports these 'embassies' issued were so perfect that the regular scanning procedures like ultraviolet light analysis usually failed to identify the manipulations. The authorities at the three international airports in Kerala had stepped up their vigil against forged documents recently after a chance seizure of such a passport at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

The Intelligence Bureau and police have always known of the existence of these embassies but they were unable to do anything as the rackets operated from the Gulf. Also, it would never be easy to spot these rackets as they had no regular bases or permanent agents. "They operate with so much professionalism," said the Kasaragod-based travel agent. "And an ordinary low-income worker in the Gulf does not have the authority to ask the 'embassy' he approaches for a legally valid passport issued in his true identity when he wants to get home in no time and when the sponsor won't return his passport. He prays to god to keep everything fine and board the plane," he says. The forgeries that came to light after the Mangalore crash and the confusion it had caused have prompted the Government to see the matter more seriously and the concerned departments would now take it up with their counterparts in the Gulf in a determined move to end the malpractice. It also poses a huge security concern in these times of terror.

 

[nandu]

Indian Mujahideen declared terror outfit

New Delhi, June 4 (PTI) The Government today declared Indian Mujahideen, believed to be a shadow outfit of banned SIMI and Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba, as a terrorist organisation.

The terror outfit, which has been allegedly involved in serial bomb blasts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore and Mumbai, has been added by the Government in the list of terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

"An order has been issued adding Indian Mujahideen and all its formations and front organisations to the list of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967," Home Ministry said in a statement.

The Indian Mujahideen came under spotlight on February 23, 2005 when it allegedly carried out a blast in Varanasi leaving eight people injured.

 

[ajtr]

^^Wow it took GOI 5 years to declare IM as terror outfit.No doubt india is such a soft target for terrorists.

 

[nandu]

Railways identify 13 trains worst affected by 'drug menace'

New Delhi, June 6 : Railways have admitted that cases of drugging and looting are rampant in the Mumbai-Varanasi and Delhi-Guwahati sections and identified 13 trains as the worst affected ones.

"It is an organised crime. We identified 13 trains in which such incidents are frequently reported and have taken certain measures to prevent the menace," a senior Railway official said.

"The unscrupulous elements offer passengers drug-laced biscuits, cold drinks, tea or coffee and make them unconscious before looting their belongings," the official said.
The Mahanagri Express, Tapaswani Express and Kalka Mail are among the 13 worst-affected trains identified by the Railways for frequent drugging incidents, he said.
Other "vulnerable" trains include Mumbai-Ferozpur Punjab Mail, Delhi-Guwahati North Express, Delhi-Dibrugarh Brahmaputra Mail, Delhi-Guwahati Awadh Express and Mahananda Express, the official said.

The Mahanagri Express and Kamayani Express running between Mumbai-Varanasi sector alone reported 38 such cases last year.

Twenty-four drugging cases were reported from Mumbai- Varanasi Mahanagri Express followed by Puri-Hatia Tapaswani Express (18), Howrah-Kalka Mail (17), Mumbai-Varanasi Kamayani Express (14), Delhi-Jalpaiguri Mahananda Express (12), Delhi- Guwahati Awadh Assam Express (11) and Ferozpur-Mumbai Punjab Mail (9) in 2009.

While eight drugging cases each were reported from New Jalpaiguri-Danapur Capital Express and Delhi-Katihar Amrapali Express, Delhi-Guwahati North East Express witnessed 10 cases, Howrah-Jodhpur Express, Delhi-Dibrugarh Brahma Putra Mail, and Nagpur-Tatanagar passenger trains witnessed nine, five and four cases respectively last year.

A total of 957 drugging incidents were reported last year while 200 such cases were registered and 41 persons arrested during January-April this year, the official said.
"We have identified certain stations as prone to such crimes. Constant vigil, awareness campaign and increased patrolling are some of the steps undertaken to prevent the menace," he said.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/73729/railways-identify-13-trains-worst.html

 

[ajtr]

Centre to crack down on K'taka mining mafia​

Last updated on: June 06, 2010 16:23 IST
t
With the Karnataka [ Images ] government rejecting suggestions for a Central Bureau of Investigations probe, the Union mines ministry is pursuing other moves to crack down on the mining mafia in the state.

In the face of the Karnataka government's resistance to a CBI probe, the matter was referred to the Cabinet and the issue was discussed in the Prime Minister's office, Mines Minister B K Handique told PTI.

One of his concerns was whether any money from illegal mining was going to terrorists and the issue was discussed at the prime minister's office.

Asserting that the "crackdown" on illegal mining was on the top of his agenda, Handique said that at present there were not enough legal provisions for central intervention and he would make attempts to incorporate provisions for this in the proposed Mining Act.

"There were discussions at the PMO level (on illegal mining). It would be tracked down. If money goes to terrorists, then licenses will be cancelled. It is a big thing. With NIA (National Investigation Agency) now, things are moving," he said.

"We thought that CBI will be the right approach. But we can't enforce it. We have given it to Cabinet now. We have asked them (their help) for investigation," he said.

Asked to elaborate, he said that there was a provision in the law governing National Investigative Agency and the home ministry may be on the path of tracking where the money was going. "They have been consulting us also on this," he added.

Handique said the problem of not having adequate provisions in the law now was also discussed with Law Minister Veerappa Moily [ Images ]. "

With Moily, we have discussed. We have discussed this with Chidambaram also. He had organised a meeting." Handique's insistence on a probe and action in Karnataka comes against the backdrop of allegations of illegal mining by the Reddy brothers, who are ministers in the Karnataka government.

The current moves come at a time when Karnataka Governor and former Union Law Minister H S Bharadwaj has decided to refer to the Election Commission a complaint seeking disqualification of three ministers, including G Janardhana Reddy and his brother and Revenue Minister G Karunakara Reddy, from the state assembly.

Hitting out at the state government, Handique said, "Illegal mining is a dent on the industry... They (Karnataka government) don't give (permission for CBI probe). They say without CBI enquiry we can control. We (Centre) cannot take any action. It is a criminal act."

Admitting that he faced severe political pressure in his crusade against illegal mining, Handique said, "Many MPs have come to me.... (it is a) sensitive area, no doubt about it."

He said the proposed legislation would ensure that anybody can file a case against illegal mining, contrary to the provisions in the existing MMDR Act, under which only state government officials have the powers.

Karnataka is one of the mineral rich states in India [ Images ] with about 11 percent of the country's hematite iron ore reserves. It has over 9,000 million tonnes of iron ore resources concentrated in the Bellary-Hospet area, while the rest is found in the Chitradurga, Bagalkot and Tumkur districts.

 

[ajtr]

7 semesters for terror trainees​

Recruitment camps in Pakistan prepare tougher courses for spreading hate. Devise commando training manual to take on Indian security forces

If the image of Ajmal Amir Qasab raining bullets at the CST station with a smirk on his face shook you, then you should know Qasab is among the new breed of terrorists being prepared by Pakistan to carry out attacks on India.


Terrorists are chosen for specific mission based upon their performance
in the academy representative photo

Highly-placed sources in the intelligence agencies have told MiD DAY that the terror masters are putting in a lot of thought in designing modules for training new recruits much like the special forces of many countries. Apart from the basic training, which is imparted to every member, a recruit is chosen for a particular mission based upon his strengths and then sent for special training.

In the aftermath of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, MiD DAY had reported how those who carried out the attack learnt sea-tricks at a Pakistani Navy facility in Badin where Islamabad trains its best marine commandos.
"The training programmes have become extensive and aim-specific. The training was already divided into batches and semesters but now it has become more mission and purpose oriented. It has become selective in nature with the entire focus on preparing commandos who can bring an entire city on its knees for a few days," said an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official, requesting anonymity.

Past practices
Earlier, the terrorists were given two-tier training for using arms and explosives, infiltration, avoiding detection and carrying out mass killings. But under the new training regime only those youngsters who prove their mental and physical fitness are allowed to go for advanced training.

The training begins with the basic foundation or Tasis course, which is more into religious teachings and gives a very basic insight of further training. While the stipulated time for this stage is one month, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) insists on completing it in three weeks (21 days). The first round is followed by a three-month capsule course called Al-Raad that aims at making the terror cadet physically fitter and mentally tougher. "An important aspect of this stage is continuous brain washing of the cadre through propaganda. They are shown video tapes and given material to read about their enemy to fuel their imagination," the sources said.

The specialists
Almost all the terror cadres are made to go through these two stages, but beyond this, cadets are divided into groups for specialised training keeping in mind the requirement for specific missions. "For example, in case of Ajmal Amir Qasab, the group was specially trained for marine operations which are amongst the most difficult military operations. The third training programme known as Guerrilla is meant only for those who have to perform actual operations in sea, land, jungle or an urban scenario," said the officer.

After Guerrilla training, recruits are then initiated into another advanced course. It teaches the terror cadres to operate all kinds of modern weapons. "During this stage, the terrorists are given a brief of their coming mission which could be based anywhere. Groups are divided for land and sea-based operations and further training is carried out under extreme secrecy. The groups are smaller in nature where every person is trained to maximise his skill. At this stage every terrorist is an expert shooter besides having an individual skill like assembling bombs or tackling security forces in a pre-decided scenario," said an IB official.

Survival of the fittest
The terrorists are taught the art of surviving in worst case scenarios to maximise the loss of life and property as it happened during the Mumbai attack.
Further training takes place in the similar environment and candidates are selected for lessons into bomb- making, mining and firing shoulder-carried weapons like rocket launchers.

The sixth and seventh stages are considered extremely difficult and have been rated as most dangerous by the Indian security agencies. In these, the terrorists are taught the skills of negotiating with aerial targets. brought down the twin towers by hijacking civil aircraft. "Very few terrorists reach this stage. While it needs extremely determined people, being accustomed with latest technology and qualities like fluency in English are some of the prerequisites," said the officer.

The seventh and the last stage has not changed in all these years and though it was adopted from the Talibans operating in Afghanistan, they are aimed at creating top-ranking commanders in the terror groups.
"Unlike the earlier terrorists who were trained with arms, the new breed is extremely determined and mission oriented. They are at par with the commandos operating in most countries; the only difference is that they are trained for a single mission and they are like killing machines," said an officer attached to the Union Home Ministry.

Propaganda
Jamat-ud-Dawa runs an Urdu monthly journal, Al Dawa, which has a circulation of 80,000, an Urdu weekly, Gazwa, a children's monthly, Nanhe Mujahid, and an English

 

[ajtr]

Probe on Dawood link with stars​

SAMYABRATA RAY GOSWAMI

Sanjay Dutt
Mumbai, June 4: The CBI has sent letters rogatory to the UAE seeking details of the association of Sanjay Dutt, Mahesh Manjrekar and other Bollywood figures with Dawood Ibrahim's "D-Company", a top agency official said.

The names of two Bollywood actresses — both of whom "allegedly" shared romantic liaisons with Dawood and his brother Anees— also figure on the list. The CBI sent the letters after approval from the home ministry.

"We have information that in the 90s, these people were guests of Dawood in Dubai on various occasions. Their hotel bills were picked up by the D-Company. They were regulars at their parties and weddings. We want to know the extent of these associations," the CBI official said.

The information, though, has not been sought in connection with any particular ongoing investigation. ''But as investigators, we need these records as some of them are still in touch with the underworld,'' the official said.

Letters rogatory are formal requests for judicial assistance from courts in one country to those in another nation. They remain one of the most common methods for collection of evidence from a foreign country, and are usually entertained when the nations have an extradition and mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT).

"In the case of the UAE, we have had a MLAT in place for over a decade, but it did not produce the desired results. Things are changing now with stronger bonds between the two nations, helping investigative agencies," the CBI official said.

The bilateral ties, always warm, got a boost from the visit of UAE Vice-President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to New Delhi in March.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), too, hopes to leverage the robust relations between the two nations to achieve a breakthrough in the multi-crore bribery case involving former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda.

The ED had sent a letter rogatory after approval from a Ranchi court in February, but things have started moving only in the past two months.

"We suspect that a part of Koda's multi-crore fortune was invested in nine luxury properties in Dubai worth around Rs 221 crore in all. We are also probing five foreign bank accounts and eight foreign and Indian firms," said an ED official.

Officials suspect Koda invested money in real estate projects in Dubai through his business associates Binod Sinha and Anil Bastawade.

"According to our information, Koda and his associates invested in nine plots valued at over Rs 221 crore. Of this, Rs 80 crore has already been paid. The properties include state-of-the-art residential apartments Spica and Triangle Tower located at prime locations in Dubai, including in the upscale Jumeira village. We need documents from the UAE to corroborate our findings. The letter rogatory is for this purpose," said the ED official.

Koda's money, ED sources said, was wired — transferred online — to Dubai through hawala channels. "We are hopeful of getting concrete evidences and leads" the official said.

Another case being held up as an example is the arrest last month of Abdul Samad Bhatkal, believed to be linked to the German Bakery blast in Pune in February, soon after he arrived in Mangalore from Dubai. The arrest, officially made in a 2009 arms seizure, triggered speculation Bhatkal may have been deported.

 

[ajtr]

Bengaluru cops question Madani, wife Sufiya​

June 7: The Bengaluru police has questioned the People's Democratic Party chairman, Mr Abdul Nasser Madani, and his wife, Sufiya Madani, in connection with the serial blasts that took place in the city in 2008. Mr Madani, who has been admitted in the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital here, told a TV channel on Monday that he had no role in the Bengaluru blasts and was being unnecessarily targeted.
"It is true that the Bengaluru police came to us last week," he said. "They asked me about some district leaders of the PDP and I gave them the information they sought." Mr Madani said the cops had also asked his wife about a mobile number she had used some years ago. "They also showed us some pictures and we pointed out those people we knew," he said.
"Many people used to meet us and we didn't know some of them were involved in dangerous activities." The Bengaluru police had issued notice to the couple this February but the wheelchair-bound Mr Madani and his wife had refused to go to the city for interrogation citing health reasons. Following this, a police team arrived in Kochi on Friday and interrogated them.
It is learnt that the team questioned the couple in detail about the phone call made by the arrested Lashkar operative, Thadiyentavida Naseer, after the blasts. It may be recalled that the PDP leader spent close to nine year in a Tamil Nadu jail over the Coimbatore blasts and was acquitted three years ago. Mrs Sufiya was arrested last year by the Kerala police over the burning of a Tamil Nadu bus in Kalamasserry and is now out on bail. The PDP leader told the channel that he had been 'targeted' for several years over incidents in which he had no role and the latest interrogation was also part of this.

 

[ajtr]

Madani may be booked for Bangalore blasts​

Naveen Ammembala Express News ServiceFirst Published : 08 Jun 2010 06:15:11 AM ISTLast Updated : 08 Jun 2010 09:48:10 AM IST
BANGALORE: Bangalore police will add the name of Abdul Nasir Madani, leader of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), to the chargesheet of the 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts case. The city police, who grilled Madani and his wife Soofia in Kochi last week, believe they have collected enough evidence to prove his role in the terror attack, police sources said.
The city team, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police H M Omkariah, the investigation officer, recorded the statements of the Madani couple on Saturday and Sunday, sources said. Madani would be arrested if his name were included in the additional chargesheet scheduled to be filed before an ACMM court in the next few days.
"A lot of evidence has been collected to substantiate his role in the Bangalore serial blasts. We are getting legal opinion on how to fix his role in the chargesheet," a senior police official told Express.
"We have collected the telephone conversations between Madani and T Nasir, the main accused in the serial blasts case. Documents of phone conversation between Sarfaraz Nawaz (the financier of the blasts, arrested by IB) and Madani, has been collected. There is more evidence of the link between Madani and Shaunu Sattar (the main technician who made the bombs)," he said.

 

[ajtr]

If the pakistani terror cell is in as small town as chittoor then it says how precarious indian internal security is????

Search on for 'terrorist'​

Special Correspondent
TIRUPATI: Police are on the lookout for an alleged Pakistani terrorist who has reportedly sent email to different addresses in the last five days from an Internet centre in Chittoor, 64 km from here.

The arrival of a 10-member team from the Bengaluru-based Cyber Crimes division has created ripples in the district headquarters town, which is close to the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka borders. Superintendent of Police Ramakrishna, however, said what brought the Bengaluru team was the fact that the "terrorist" had, in his email address, claimed he belonged to Pakistan.

 

[ajtr]

CBI arrests 1993 serial blasts accused Tahir Merchant​

Mumbai, June 8 (PTI)

Tahir Merchant, an absconding accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, was on Tuesday arrested by CBI following his deportation from Abu Dhabi.

"Merchant alias Tahir Taklya, a close associate of prime accused in the case Tiger Memon, was brought to Mumbai this afternoon and was produced before a special TADA court here which remanded him in police custody till June 14," CBI official Anand Somani told PTI.

The TADA court had issued non-bailable warrant against Merchant in October 1993 after he was declared absconding in the blasts case. "A red corner notice was issued against Merchant and also he was declared a proclaimed offender by the TADA court," said defence lawyer Farhana Shah, who represented nearly 100 accused in the case.

"Merchant had in Dubai received several accused from India and had arranged for them to be sent to Karachi in Pakistan for arms training. He allegedly provided them with travel documents and money for the training," Somani said.

Merchant had also allegedly attended meetings in Dubai, where the 1993 blast conspiracy was hatched by Memon and fugitive Dawood Ibrahim. Recently, CBI had arrested another absconding accused in the case, Feroze Abdul Rashid Khan from Navi Mumbai. Trial against him is yet to begin.

The TADA court is conducting the trial of extradited gangster Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa and Abdul Qayyum. In 2007, special TADA Judge Pramod Kode had convicted 100 accused including filmstar Sanjay Dutt in connection with the blasts. Most of them appealed in the Supreme Court, which is yet to hear them.

 

[nandu]

Sabotage near Villupuram station, passengers safe

Chennai, June 12, 2010

It was a providential escape for the passengers of Tiruchirapalli-Chennai Egmore Rockfort Express on Saturday morning as the train driver brought the train to a halt after noticing a three cuts in the railway track between Mundiyabakkam and Perani stations about 50 k.m. away from Villupuram junction.

Due to this train services on the Chennai Egmore - Tiruchi Junction were paralised for over four hours on Saturday.

According to Southern Railway officials, the driver and guard of the Salem - Chennai Egmore Express, which preceded the Rockfort Express felt severe a jolt after crossing Munndiyambakkam station. The train crew immediately stopped the train at Perani station, which is not a scheduled stop,and informed the station officials, who in turn alerted the Munndiyambakkam station master.

Mundiyambakkam station master alerted the crew of the Chennai bound Rock Fort Express and asked themto proceed on caution.

The Rockfort Express driver while proceeding cautiously noticed the cut in the track and brought the train to a halt.

Immediately he informed the Mundiyambakkam and Perani station authorities, who in turn alerted Control Office at headquarters Chennai.

Train services on the section was suspended and all trains coming to Chennai from the South, including the Pandiyan Express, Mangalore-Chennai Express, the Nellai Express were stopped at wayside stations.

Top railway officials and Villupuram district police officials, including Chennai Divisional Railway Manager Anurag rushed to the spot.

They found that the track to a length of 3 feet was cut and a wire from the spot was leading to a near-by field.They suspected that the blast was engineered by some terrorists groups targeting the Rockfort Express.

Due to alertness of the train crew, a major train accident was averted.

Railway officials here said the track was restored at 7:45 a.m. for traffic and they were waiting for local police to give clearance for restoring the service.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article453464.ece

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...s-on-govt-terms-Gogoi/articleshow/6044835.cms

Ulfa ready for talks on govt terms: Gogoi
Prabin Kalita, TNN, Jun 14, 2010, 02.59am IST

GUWAHATI: In less than a month since Assam decided to start peace negotiations with Ulfa, the outfit has agreed to sit for talks, and that too, on government's terms, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said on Sunday. "There's some good news. They [Ulfa] are prepared for talks and have informed me [about their decision]," Gogoi said, but refused to divulge who has communicated the Ulfa's decision to him and in what form.

Asked whether the Ulfa leadership has agreed to government's terms that sovereignty would not feature in the dialogue, the chief minister said: "They have not said in so many words. They have agreed to sit for talks knowing fully well that we will not discuss sovereignty."

However, Ulfa's central publicity secretary, Mithinga Daimary, did not divulge much. "We will get back to you at the right time," was all that he said.

On the other hand, Gogoi announced safe passage for all second-rung Ulfa leaders who are spread outside the country and various parts of Assam. He said: "We want to include the Ulfa battalion commanders in the peace process. Most of them have agreed for talks. I am ready to facilitate their safe passage."

 

[nandu]

EADS eyes Indian homeland security to sell mini drone

The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) is in discussion with the Indian government for hard-selling its mini drone Tracker to meet the country's homeland security needs, a top company official said.

'We are in discussions with the Indian defence and home ministries for supplying the Tracker mini-drone, which is aptly suitable for the growing security requirements of India,' Bernhard Gerwert, EADS (defence & security) military air systems chief executive, told IANS here.

The fixed-wing mini unmanned aerial system or vehicle (UAV) provides day and night imagery in real time to frontline units and those deployed in disturbed or sensitive areas.

'As a handheld device, Tracker can be quickly deployed and launched by hand for over-the-hill reconnaissance and surveillance detection, classification, localisation and tracking,' Gerwart said on the margins of the six-day Berlin international air show (ILA 2010), which concluded Sunday.

Packed into two personal rucksacks, Tracker is easy to operate and maintain as it is bad weather tolerant, with stealth, accurate and safety features.

'The homeland security needs of India have grown manifold due to growing terror menace in the neighbourhood and spate of violent attacks by Maoists in some of the states. Security concerns arising out of such situations require smart response with sophisticated equipment like Tracker,' Gerwart noted.

Tracker drones are also used for tactical (target) detection, reconnaissance and surveillance, troops or convey protection and artillery support.

The Netherlands-based euro 88-billion EADS delivered 120 Trackers early this year under DRAC (Drone de Renseignement Au Contact) name to the French army, which deployed a dozen of them in Afghanistan since May.

'With long borders and a vast coastline, we estimate India may require about 500 mini-drones to enhance its homeland security set-up across the country, especially in the states facing Maoist attacks and anti-insurgency activities,' said Gerwart.

Supported with ground stations and communication sensors, Trackers can also be monitored remotely with high-speed secure data link, which gives the system a genuine long-range capability, even in adverse weather conditions.

Each Tracker system is equipped with payloads, a compact ground station and an automatic tracking antenna.

http://sify.com/news/eads-eyes-indi...ini-drone-news-international-kgorubfiahi.html

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HC-tells-ATS-to-get-act-together/articleshow/6061436.cms

HC tells ATS to get act together
Shibu Thomas, TNN, Jun 18, 2010, 07.14am IST

MUMBAI: Days after Maharashtra police's Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) suffered a setback in the Pune blast case, Bombay HC has asked the elite agency to get ready for another legal battle in the Malegaon blast case. A division bench of Justices B H Marlapalle and Anoop Mohta asked the ATS to convince the court that the criteria was fulfilled while charging the accused in the case.

At stake for the ATS is the stringent gangster law MCOCA that it had invoked against the Malegaon blast accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Lt Col Prasad Purohit. One of the conditions of MCOCA is to prove that the accused were part of an organised crime syndicate, at least one of the accused should have had criminal antecedents, which in this case means two FIRs in the last 10 years with offences punishable with three years imprisonment.

The Malgeaon case had Rakesh Dhawade, who was shown as an accused in two FIRs registered at Parbhani and Jalna to justify the MCOCA invoked against him and the other accused.

Both the FIRs relate to bomb blasts, where one of the provisions invoked is IPC's Section 153-A which relates to promoting enmity between two communities and punishable with three years imprisonment. The problem with this offence is that no cognizance can be taken of this crime unless the police obtain a sanction to prosecute from the government (Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code). The defence has argued that no material has been placed on record to show whether sanction under the CrPc was obtained.

''If the two previous FIRs go, so does the MCOCA,'' said Pragya's counsel advocate, Ganesh Sovani. He pointed out that even in the Malegaon blasts case, the ATS is yet to furnish any document to show that they have complied with the provision of obtaining sanction to charge the Malegaon blast accused under Section 153-A.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...itant-held-in-Mumbai-/articleshow/6068946.cms

Babbar Khalsa militant held in Mumbai
IANS, Jun 19, 2010, 10.21pm IST

MUMBAI: A member of the insurgent Babbar Khalsa International group was Saturday arrested from a Mumbai suburb and three weapons and 40 bullets were seized from him, police said.

The Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested Nishant Singh Karam Singh from Chembur.

"We had information about Singh, who was coming from Nanded (in Maharashtra). We arrested him and seized a double barrel shot gun with 24 rounds, two .32 pistols and 40 rounds of ammunition," said ATS Chief Rakesh Maria.

"He is from Babbar Khalsa International terrorist organization," Maria added.

Maria said that a Punjab Police team will come to Mumbai to question Singh.