Koran in each gun box-Kerala arms haul

By S. Chandrasekhar

The train blasts on December 6, Marad carnage, Beypore boat blasts, attacks on Tamil Nadu buses, demanding release of Madhani, explosions at Kozhikode bus stop, seizure of hundreds of gelatine sticks, activities of banned SIMI and NDF and the Kerala connection of FAHAD, show that the ISI-jehadi threat is very real.

Chief Minister V.S. Atchudanandan gave a guarded opinion that the arms import is a religious extremist plot for creating trouble in Kerala.

Loudly proclaiming that they are alive and kicking and that they have graduated from stone age swords and axes to automatic assault weapons, the jehadis of Kerala have once again, marked their presence. In the biggest haul of arms in Kerala, Customs and Police officials seized 35 pistols and 47 air-guns from among a container consignment of 817 boxes on January 8.

The boxes were kept in a customs godown owned by Tissan Thachankery (brother of IGP Tomin Thachankery, who is close to the CPM boss—Pinarayi Vijayan) and the consignment from Dubai was addressed to M.O. Koya of Orumanaoor, Chavakad near Guruvayur. The weapons were concealed among boxes of plastic furniture and footwear and was stumbled upon during a routine customs check-up. But the greatest surprise was that a copy of the Koran was found in every packing box of each gun!

The guns were of international arms manufacturers, Gamo of Spain and Walther and Beretta of U.S. Excise Additional Commissioner Rema Mathew who master-minded the raid, said that on several occasions earlier, goods were smuggled out of the godown before customs clearance, and due to the high hold of Tomin and Tissan, they couldn’t do anything.

Apart from Customs, Excise and State Police, officials of RAW, IB and ballistic experts of defence examined the seized weapons. The weapons were carbon-dioxide powered and can be used for training purposes. The defence experts gave the final verdict, that with suitable modifications, they can be converted into lethal assault weapons. Added to this, the ship which delivered the consignment is also not traceable.

R.O. Koya, the kingpin of this arms-smuggling racket, is involved in supplying foreign goods in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for past several years, was tipped off by his connections in customs and police and he left his house, minutes before they raided his house. A Pakistan passport was seized from his house. Police and media investigations reveal that Koya and his gang of Shamsudeen, Mohammed and Abdul Kahadder have been in this business for several years. Moreover Koya was caught red-handed in Thiruvananthapuram airport with four guns in 2003, but was let-off due to political pressure, may be from Muslim League. These guns are converted into firearms at Coimbatore, the Engineering capital of Tamil Nadu and a hot-bed of Islamic terrorism.

The ritualistic police raids on armories in Kerala disclosed startling revelations. Thousands of banned versions of air-guns and pistols have been converted into assault weapons and sold to all and sundry, at exhorbitant rates, and with no proper records. This must have gone into the hands of Islamic militants and Christian encroachers who are involved in Ganja cultivation, opine Raw and IB officials.

For almost a decade the Southern Command of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard having been warning of increased ISI sponsored Islamic militantancy in Kerala. The train blasts on December 6, Marad Carnage, Beypore boat blasts, attacks on Tamil Nadu buses demanding release of Madhani, explosions at Kozhikode bus stop, seizure of hundreds of gelatine sticks, activities of banned SIMI and NDF, the Kerala connection of FAHAD, etc., shows that the ISI-jehadi threat is very much alive. The E-mail threats to President and PM and the land buying spree in coastal areas and isolated islands near Kochi airport only strengthen the needle of suspicion on the jehadi outfits like SIMI, NDF is this racket. There are also IB and RAW reports that NDF is conducting arms training in huge estates brought by giving crores. The IB report of arrival of two containers of PAK printed Indian currence also lends credency to the suspicion on NDF.

The normally outspoken Chief Minister V.S. Atchudanandan, without naming Muslims, gave a guarded opinion that the arms import is a religious extremist plot for creating trouble in Kerala. Perhaps V.S. to hold on to his chair, does not want to rub jehadis, on the wrong side.

Due to intense probe by police supervised by IB, RAW, Defence establishment etc. the heat on Koya was so great, that local politician and police benefactors couldn’t save him. He surrendered to the customs officials and was booked for violation of Arms Act and Customs Act.

BJP President P.K. Krishnadas has called for a high-level probe by a central agency, since efforts for sabotaging investigations to help jehadi outfits are, already on. He said that RSS and BJP have been steadily warning of increased ISI jehadi activities and this arms haul have proved them right. He said the UPA’s soft approach towards terrorism and delay in hanging Afzal Guru, have given an impetus to jehadi outfits to go to any lengths, to create trouble in India.

This arms haul once again emphasises the point that all Muslims are not terrorists, but world over, all terrorists are Muslims, who subscribe to jehad.