Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi
New Delhi, May 18: In a significant blow to Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), its top commander Saifullah Khalid — believed to be the mastermind behind multiple deadly attacks in India including the IISc Bengaluru blast — was gunned down in Pakistan’s Sindh province on Sunday, according to reliable intelligence sources.
Saifullah, who operated under several aliases such as Vinod Kumar, Mohammad Salim, Wajid, Vaniyal, and Salim Bhai, was wanted for orchestrating three major terror strikes in India — the 2001 CRPF camp attack in Rampur, the 2005 Indian Institute of Science (IISc) attack in Bengaluru, and the 2006 strike at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. His elimination marks the end of a dark chapter in India’s anti-terror fight.
Saifullah had been covertly operating from Nepal for several years under the assumed identity of "Vinod Kumar." During his stay, he married a local woman named Nagma Banu and used the country as a safe haven to run Lashkar operations. He was primarily involved in recruiting terrorists, arranging logistics, and channelling funds for operations targeting India. He is also reported to have facilitated the movement of operatives through the Nepal-India border.
Sources revealed that Saifullah recently shifted base to Matli in Badin district of Sindh province, Pakistan. There, he was actively working with both Lashkar-e-Taiba and its ideological front, Jamaat-ud-Dawa. His focus remained on recruitment and fundraising, indicating that he continued to play a key role in nurturing anti-India terror activities even after relocating from Nepal.
On Sunday, Saifullah was shot dead in what is being described as a targeted attack by unidentified gunmen. While Pakistani authorities have remained silent on the incident, intelligence sources have confirmed his identity and death. The motive and identities of the assailants remain unknown.
Security analysts believe that Saifullah’s death could destabilise LeT’s operational network in the region, particularly its activities linked to Nepal and northern India. His demise is being viewed as a significant success for Indian security agencies who had long been tracking his movements.
Saifullah’s name had become synonymous with terror in Indian intelligence circles. The 2005 IISc blast in Bengaluru —India’s first major terror attack on a scientific institution — had sent shockwaves across the nation. He was also the key planner of the assault on the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and the deadly attack on the CRPF camp in Rampur.
With his death, yet another dreaded figure from India’s most wanted list has fallen, delivering a stern message to terror outfits that no mastermind will remain out of reach.