NIA probing top cops Islamist links

The NIA has started examining whether Islamist terror men have been getting help from senior officials of the Kerala Police even as the Central Intelligence Bureau has reportedly learned that organizations having links with the Al-Qaeda and Taliban have been operating dozens of accounts in the primary cooperative banks in Kerala.

An anonymous letter received last week by the Special CBI Court (2) in Kochi, which is handling the terror cases being probed by the NIA, had alleged that an official in the rank of Superintendent of Police had provided help for those who had been recruiting youths into terror outfits. The court had handed over the letter to the NIA for inquiries.

The investigating agency had earlier got indications that certain persons accused in the case regarding the recruitments into an LeT-linked outfit based in Edakkkad, Kannur had received assistance from certain police officials. But the anonymous letter has expanded the scope of its investigations.

The Intelligence wing of the Kerala Police also has started looking into the situation in the context of the letter. They have already availed a copy of the letter from the Special CBI Court. Earlier, there were reports that a particular Islamist organization had infiltrated the Kerala Police by successfully positing their men in ranks ranging from constable to DySP.

Under focused watch of the NIA is an official who is said to have had close links with banned Islamist outfit SIMI and the Popular Front of India whose activists were allegedly behind the July 4 attack on a college professor in Muvattupuzha. This official, presently in the rank of an SP, was DySP when he had been helping the Islamist outfits, it is said.

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