Pics & Report: Yahya Hallare

Daijiworld Media Network- Bhatkal

Bhatkal, Jan 9: On Thursday evening of January 8, Bengaluru police commissioner M N Reddy revealed to the media in Bengaluru that three Bhatkal youth were arrested relating to Bengaluru Church street blast. The three are Syed Ismail Afaq (34), Abdus Subur (23) and Saddam Hussain (35). Police also claimed to have found a huge cache of explosives including ammonium nitrate and gelatin sticks, detonators, electronic timer device and PVC pipes.

After a day of the said arrests and seizure of explosives, few questions remain unanswered.

Inputs from Bhatkal:

As per the reports from Bhatkal, a heavy police presence was found on Thursday, January 8 early afternoon outside Muhammad Hussain Jukaku's house located at Tengungudi cross. When the media made inquiries about the matter, the local police informed that CCB police from Bengaluru had arrived for an operation and the local police team was providing security around the place without any role to play in the operation.

The locals revealed that the house was locked and Hussain was not at home when police arrived and broke open the door of the locked house. They added that Hussain was admitted in some hospital in Kerala for some treatment. They also said that Hussain's son had left for Bengaluru on Wednesday in relation to a college project. The witnesses also revealed that after Hussain's house was broken into, the police unloaded a carton box containing some items from their vehicle and carried inside the house. This was followed by some papers and a big carry bag.

Bangalore police commissioner M N Reddy addressing a press conference announced the seizure of huge cache of explosives from a house in Bhatkal. The police left Hussain's house an hour after that a big bag said to be containing the explosives.The police did not display the contents of the bag even to the media and loaded them in their vehicles before locking and sealing the house. Nobody knows why the CCB team took so much of time inside the house from noon to 7 pm.

According to information received, police picked up two individuals, Saddam Hussain and Mohammed Aasif, both residents of Jali road Sharkoli honda at about 6 am on Thursday morning. They were first taken to Udupi and then to Bengaluru. Meanwhile, according to some reliable sources, police arrested Abdus Subur and Dr Afaq Lanka as soon as they reached Bengaluru by bus. Dr Lanka's brother, Abdul Azeez, a resident of Bebgaluru was also picked up. However, in his press conference address, Bangalore police commissioner announced the arrest of only 3 individuals. It could not be known who took the other two persons.

The secret operation has raised eyebrows in the local community. The locals urged the social organization Tanzeem to take up the matter. Tanzeem officials met the additional SP of Uttara Kannada and expressed serious concerns over the operation. They complained that no one from Tanzeem or even the neighbours were called to witness the raid especially when there was a need to break the lock and inspect the house. Additional SP said that the local police do not have any right to interfere in the operation conducted by Bangalore CCB.

Later, talking to the reporters, Tanzeem officials expressed doubts on the credibility of the operation and announcement. Dr Mohammed Haneef Shabab, former general secretary of Tanzeem said that intelligence agencies and certain section of media are portraying Bhatkal in negative light. He said if the police had information about the presence of explosives at the house, then they should have invited the media to show the so called explosives.

The Bhatkal link to the Bengaluru blast is yet to be conclusively established.