The Hindu

• The IB may quiz them for the next three days
• It has not been able to interrogate the two separately

Mangalore, Feb 2: The arrest of two terror suspects by the Davangere police recently has set off a rush among police officials from various States, including Karnataka, and sleuths from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to interrogate them.

While the Goa police have reportedly interrogated the suspects, their counterparts from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka have descended on Davangere in this pursuit, leaving the IB miffed and stumped.

With IB officials taking up the matter with the top brass of the State police, instructions have been relayed down the line to all the concerned to let IB finish with the interrogation first. The IB is expected to interrogate the two terror suspects, Asadullah Abubkar and Ziyazuddin Nasir alias Mohammed Ghouse, and Mohammed Asif, final year MBBS student of Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, for the next three days
Police sources told The Hindu on Friday that it was up to the IB to provide any leads on the involvement of the two terror suspects in acts of terror in the country and also their movements and links to Pakistan.

However, with police from above mentioned States too wanting to interrogate the accused, the IB has not been able to interrogate the two separately and collectively. Even Asif would be subjected to the same process, the sources said.

“It is only after the IB is through with interrogating the suspects, which may last up to three days, that other police, including those from Karnataka, will be allowed to interrogate them for knowing their possible their involvement in cases in their respective jurisdiction,” the sources said. Given the intense media interest, the three suspects could be shifted to an undisclosed location to facilitate their interrogation, the sources added.

Re-asserting Nasir’s links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the sources said police teams from Davangere had visited Hyderabad, Goa, Hubli, Mangalore, and Shimoga based on their statement that they had stayed in these places for varying periods.

“We are verifying information from these suspects,” the sources said. Asked if they had any plans to target religious places in this part of the world, the sources replied in the negative.

On the question of these suspects receiving support locally during the cities, as seen from facts emerging in Mohammad Asif case, the sources said this aspect too was being verified. “We are awaiting any inputs (from jurisdictional police) in this regard,” the sources said.