Top SIMI leader, 12 others nabbed

Indore, March 27: In a major drive against outlawed
students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), 13 of its top
leaders, including one wanted by Karanatka and Mumbai Police
in connection with terror activities, were arrested here and a
large cache of weapons seized from them.

The crackdown by Madhya Pradesh police, along with
central security agencies, began in and around Indore last
night and neighbouring Dhar district of the state during which
top brass of the banned outfit was arrested.

Among the prominent SIMI leaders arrested were Shibly
Peedicaal Abdul, wanted in connection with Mumbai train serial
blasts of July 2006, former SIMI chief Safdar Nagori and his
brother Kamruddin Nagori, chief of the outfit`s operations in
Andhra Pradesh, and hafiz of Karnataka.

Police sources said intelligence agencies had been
keeping a tab on their movement for quite sometime before
they were arrested.

Shibly is considered a prize catch as he is alleged to
be part of the conclave which had met in Ujjain ahead of the
Mumbai serial blasts that left over 180 people dead and
hundred others injured on July 11, 2006.

Police recovered weapons, money and some documents from
them. Some of the activists were arrested from Pithampur
in Dhar district, a few km away from an army range.

Describing the operation as a “big achievement” for the
police, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
said in Bhopal that “weapons and computers have been
found…From arrested persons. Investigations are on into
SIMI`s plans to expand its network in the state”.

Karnataka DGP K Srinivas told a news agency over phone from
Bangalore that a team of policemen has been dispatched to
Indore to interrogate Shibly.

Inspector General (Indore range) Anil Kumar identified
the prize catch as P A Shibly and said he was wanted by
Bangalore police.

From a small-town origin in Kerala, Shibly was working
in a multinational company and later set up his own firm which
police suspect is involved in money laundering for the
organisation.

Perceived as India`s top terrorist and a key figure in
SIMI-linked network that carried out a string of terror
strikes across southern india since 2003, Shibly, a computer
engineer from Kerala who escaped last month`s police sweep
against terror suspects in Karnataka, is alleged to be among
SIMI operatives who helped organise the serial bombings in
Mumbai trains.

Shibly is believed to have participated in a conclave of
SIMI members at Ujjain from July 4-7, 2006, where plans to
revitalise the `jihad` in india were discussed. Several
members of the cell which executed the Mumbai serial bombings
later participated in it.

Another important leader Safdar Nagori, son of a retired
assistant Sub-Inspector of police, had been absconding since
the ban was imposed on the outfit on September 27, 2001.

He is facing the charge of spreading religious discord
since 1997-98.

The arrests came a little over a month after central
security agencies and Karantaka and Andhra Pradesh police
arrested Raziuddin Nasir and Kerala-origin computer engineer
Yahya Kamakutty who were allegedly planning bombings in Goa,
Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

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