The Special Cell of Delhi Police has seized a mobile from the jail barrack of Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu in the high-security Tihar Jail. According to the police sources, the phone was used to operate a Telegram channel that was used to claim responsibility for placing an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home in Mumbai.
Big! Indian Mujahideen links emerge in explosives at Antilia case
— Raj Shekhar Jha (@rajshekharTOI) March 12, 2021
Mobile handset (with number 9311**0819), which was
used to claim responsibility for the explosive laden car through Telegram, has been seized from IM terrorist Tehsin Akhtar’s barracks in Tihar jail last night. pic.twitter.com/jRiV9BdiHn
Preliminary investigation hinted that at least five terrorists other than Tehseen used the phone to operate the Telegram channel, as per Times of India. Besides being allegedly used in the Antilia bomb claim, the police also believe that the phone might have been used in the blast that took place outside the Israeli embassy in the national capital.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police said the Telegram channel—Jaish-ul-Hind—was created inside the Tihar Jail. A probe is underway to trace the further links.
The police added that the location of the phone was traced with the help of a cyber agency. The location of the phone was traced to Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Following this, the Tihar Jail authorities conducted a massive search operation inside the sub-jail number 8 on Thursday. They recovered a mobile and a sim card. The phone was used to create the Telegram channel Jaish-ul-Hind through which the responsibility of the attack against Mukesh Ambani was claimed.
Apart from Tehseen Akhtar, the sub-jail number 8 also houses some other terrorists with links to Al Qaeda and some underworld criminals.
Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar’s role in Antilia bomb scare under probe
It is pertinent to note that the links to the Antilia bomb scare ties to Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and on death row for a string of terror attacks, including being the brains behind the explosions that rocked Patna and left six dead in 2013. A computer-savvy and master at disguising himself, Akhtar was on the radar of the investigative agencies for being involved in many terror attacks across the country. Tehseen, who hails from Bihar’s Samastipur, is also believed to be close to Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal. Akhtar was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in 2014.
The Indian Mujahideen terrorist was also involved in the 2006 blasts in Varanasi, the 2011 serial blasts in Mumbai and the 2013 Hyderabad blasts. He was sentenced to death by a special NIA court in the 2013 Hyderabad bomb blasts case.
The police is planning to take remand of Tehseen Akhtar to question him regarding the mobile phone seizure, the official said.
Antilia bomb scare incident: Car laden with explosives recovered from outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence
On February 25, a Scorpio car with 20 gelatin sticks was found parked near Antilia, the multi-storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. The police had claimed that a Telegram channel was created on February 26 and the message claiming the responsibility of the attack was posted through the channel on February 27.
On February 28, Jaish Ul Hind allegedly used another channel on Telegram. The terror group claimed that they did not post the previous message and they had no connection to the SUV parked outside Ambani’s house. The police believe that the second message was sent from outside the country, but the location could not be pinned.
The message that was sent from Tihar Jail demanded money from Ambanis. A link for payment through cryptocurrency was also mentioned in the message. However, the link was not functioning, according to Mumbai Police. The message claimed that it was only a trailer, and “the big picture was yet to come.” It further added, “the brother who placed the SUV near the Ambani house has reached the safe house.”
The case had gotten murkier and murkier after the link of Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze with the owner of the Scorpio car surfaced. Vaze was reportedly in touch with Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the car, since June 2020. Hiren was subsequently found dead in the Kalwa creek, which only served to deepen the mystery surrounding the attack against Mukesh Ambani. The investigative agencies probing the matter are looking into all possible angles, including the role of Indian Mujahideen in the attack against the billionaire businessman.
