Days after Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) busted the Bhopal-Hyderabad terror module of the Islamist terrorist organisation Hizb-Ut-Tahrir (HuT), it has been disclosed that the MP ATS conducted a RAW and IB-style operation to nab 16 HuT terrorists on May 9.
According to a Nai Dunia report, the MP ATS deployed one of its officials as a spy in order to keep tabs on the alleged HuT member. As part of the plan of operation, the ATS guard became friends with the suspect and gradually ‘joined’ the terror organisation. This ATS officer was instrumental in exposing the HuT terror module. The operation stretched over four months.
It is worth noting that the case was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday. The ATS apprehended 16 people from various locations, including ten in Bhopal, one in Chhindwara, and five in Hyderabad. The arrested persons are currently held in judicial custody.
The ATS guard entrusted with spying on HuT members became friends with one of the suspects, who used to go to a gym in the morning every day. He told the HuT member that he has a private job. Gradually, he won the trust of the HuT operatives with his effective communication skills.
Following this, the ATS officer began attending meetings with the Islamic fundamentalists. He stated that, while he is a Hindu, he is more drawn to Islam as unlike Hinduism, Islam brings people together. He also told the terrorists about changing his religion. He was frequently invited to the group’s secret meetings since he had earned the confidence of the HuT members. He was also given literature to read on Islamic extremism. Meanwhile, he kept the ATS updated on the operation’s progress and any additional feedback.
Once the complete information was prised out and the total number of terrorists active was determined, the ATS chalked out a master plan to nab all the Hizb-Ut-Tahrir terrorists simultaneously.
When the ATS official was almost exposed in front of the HuT terrorist
According to Nai Dunia’s report citing an ATS source, there was a point when the ATS official working undercover was nearly exposed in front of the HuT member. A police officer once noticed a HuT member strolling with the ATS guard and questioned him why the police were looking for him. The HuT member, however, did not take the question seriously. Following this, the arrest of HUT members was postponed for almost a month as a precautionary measure.
According to the MP ATS, as many as eight of these terrorists converted to Islam. There are three arrested from Bhopal who married Hindu girls and later forced them to convert to Islam. The terror module was commanded by Mohammad Salim, who was formerly Saurabh Rajvaidya Jain. He worked as a professor at AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s Deccan Medical College in Hyderabad.
Saurabh converted to Islam in the year 2010. His parents and the rest of the community were opposed to his conversion. Saurabh’s wife afterward converted to Islam in 2012. Yasin Khan, another arrested terrorist, worked as a gym trainer in Bhopal.
ATS asserted that the organization’s strategy was to identify susceptible and vulnerable non-Muslims and influence them to convert to Islam by brainwashing them with provocative speeches and lectures. They intended to foment terrorism and wage war against the country.
The MP ATS team also recovered anti-national documents, technical equipment, radical literature and other materials from the accused at the time of the arrest.
A case was registered against these accused under UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967) and other relevant sections. Notably, the Bhopal NIA court had sent these accused to judicial custody till June 2.
