Bengaluru, July 20 (IANS): The Bengaluru terror plot is becoming more intriguing as the Central City Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths have recovered four ready to use hand grenades from the residence of the suspected terrorists who have been arrested. Sources revealed that the terror elements wanted to strike Bengaluru on or before August 15.
CCB Joint Police Commissioner Dr. Sharanappa S.D., said on Thursday that the team which nabbed the suspected terrorists has seized four hand grenades from the residence of the terror suspects in Kodigehalli locality of Bengaluru. One of the terror suspects, who received the package, did not know about hand grenades, he said.
The grenades were stored in the secret locker of an almirah in one of the rooms of the house. The suspected terrorists had used chemical powder to keep the grenades safe and prevent them from exploding, Joint Commissioner Sharanappa stated. There are more suspects and action has been initiated in that regard. The investigation was conducted in different dimensions, he added.
Joint Commissioner Sharanappa explained that the five arrested suspected terrorists were produced before the court and taken into police custody for seven days.
Sources explained that fifth accused in the case Jaheed Tabrez received the consignment of hand grenades from the kingpin Mohammad Junaid, who is operating from Afghanistan border areas.
The sources also said that the plot was to carry out a major strike in Bengaluru on or before August 15. The terror outfits wanted to give a message to the Indian government on various issues, including ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI).
The police, after eliciting the information about the presence of explosives, retrieved the explosives with the assistance of the bomb squad.
The CCB wing had arrested Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammad Faizal Rabbani, Mohammad Umar, Muddassir Pasha and Zahid Tabrez on Wednesday and seized a large cache of explosives, weapons and equipment on Wednesday.
The Karnataka Police investigating the case of arrest of five suspected terrorists having links with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) will take T. Nazir, a terror suspect in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts lodged in the Central Prison of state capital, into police custody. Nazir is suspected to have brainwashed the arrested youths and operated as the gang commander, sources said.
He delivered orders to the accused persons and controlled the gang of terrorists through Mohammad Junaid.
Nazir, hails from Kerala and allegedly gave instructions from the prison.
The arrested suspected terrorists came in contact with Nazir, while they were in prison through Junaid. Nazir had brainwashed them and linked Mohammad Junaid with terror outfit LeT. Junaid later further brainwashed the arrested suspected terrorists and prepared them to carry out a major terror strike in IT city Bengaluru.
The probe has also revealed that Nazir helped Junaid to cross the Indian borders. The special wing CCB sources said that Nazir will be taken into custody on a body warrant. All the arrested accused have confessed that they were tutored to carry out terror strikes in the central prison by Nazir, sources said.