Hunt for top LeT recruiter continues

The special anti-terror squad of the Kerala Police on Wednesday continued its search for top LeT recruiter Nazeer of Neerchal, Kannur amidst reports that he had left the State. The police were seeking the help of the Intelligence officials of Karnataka following the suspicion that Nazeer could have escaped to Bangalore.

Police officials hoped that Nazeer could fall into their net soon as almost all the other terror operatives, except him and Ibrahim Moulvi of Vellanmunda, Wayanad, had already been caught. The police had already arrested three top terror operatives, NDF activist Abdul Jaleel, recruiter Muhammad Faizal and facilitator and courier Mujeeb, all of them from Kannur.

Sources in the police said the two young men arrested from Aluva on Tuesday could have been the ones who had prepared safe hideouts for Nazeer. Ismail (30) of Edathala and Shabeer (29) of Perumbavoor were accused in the case of bus burning in Kalamassery, they said. Ismail was accused in the case relating to the conspiracy to assassinate former chief minister EK Nayanar.

The police had found that Nazeer had visited the duo’s houses as late as October 27, when the hunt for terror elements was at its peak. Sources also said that these two had arranged for vehicles for Nazeer’s travels. They had also participated in the meetings held in Aluva and nearby places for recruiting young men to terror groups. They had been invited for LeT’s terror training in Hyderabad but had not gone for some reason, sources said.

Officials also got information that the participants in the terror training camp held in Vagamon, Idukki in December last had been taken there in a vehicle sourced from Aluva. The police had collected details of the vehicle in coordination with the officials of the Road Transport Department.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Minister G Sudhakaran said that there were no special terror threats to the pilgrim centre of Sabarimala. On a visit to the Sannidhanam, the abode of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala for reviewing the arrangements for the oncoming Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, the Minister said that the security alert for Sabarimala was of the normal level in the present situation. The Intelligence wing of the Kerala Police had earlier reported to the Home Minister that Sabarimala could be a target of terror groups.

CMP supremo MV Raghavasn asked CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan to show the courage and integrity to announce that they did not need the votes sponsored by the terror outfits in the State.

He said in Thrissur that the reason for the sudden acquisition of strength by the terror outfits was the decision of the CPI(M) to accept the electoral help of certain organizations to defeat the UDF, particularly the Muslim League, in the last elections