Yasin Bhatkal had planned business trip to Dharamshala
31 Aug 2013 11:42 PM GMT
A day after Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal was arrested in a joint operation of Indian security agencies, sources said he was planning to meet an influential Tibetan leader in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.
Sources in the National Investigating Agency (NIA) said that a team had been camping in Dharamshala and adjoining areas for the past few days after a tip-off that Bhatkal would come to visit some people. However, Bhatkal came to know about the operation and tried to flee to Bangladesh through Nepal, and he was apprehended by Indian agencies on Wednesday night ‘on India-Nepal border’. His aide and one of India’s most-wanted terrorists Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi was also nabbed along with Bhatkal.
‘We suspect the duo had some meetings planned with a Tibetan leader in Himachal Pradesh and we are interrogating him for the same,’ sources said, adding: ‘The leader whom they intended to meet has also been linked by Indian agencies to few cases of fake Indian currency notes (FICN).’
In fact, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2011 had questioned few leaders at a monastery after the local police had seized few fake currency notes of Rs 500 denominations worth Rs 64 lakh at the Gyuto monastery. ‘The ED is also mulling to lodge an FIR in connection with that case,’ the sources added.
Bhatkal is infamous for mobilizing youth to join the cause endorsed by his likes. Indian Mujahideen is also involved in the nexus which facilitates the influx of fake currency notes into India through Nepal border. Bhatkal was rounded up by the Kolkata police in 2009 on charge of carrying fake currency notes.
However, he had managed to escape.
NIA sources added they had sent teams to several Indian cities as they didn’t want to miss the golden chance which they saw coming their way to arrest Bhatkal.
Meanwhile, the investigating agency on Friday got the custody Bhatkal and Akhtar for 12 days. Bhatkal was flown in on Friday morning at about 10 am and was taken to AIIMS for a routine check-up.
Sources in the National Investigating Agency (NIA) said that a team had been camping in Dharamshala and adjoining areas for the past few days after a tip-off that Bhatkal would come to visit some people. However, Bhatkal came to know about the operation and tried to flee to Bangladesh through Nepal, and he was apprehended by Indian agencies on Wednesday night ‘on India-Nepal border’. His aide and one of India’s most-wanted terrorists Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi was also nabbed along with Bhatkal.
‘We suspect the duo had some meetings planned with a Tibetan leader in Himachal Pradesh and we are interrogating him for the same,’ sources said, adding: ‘The leader whom they intended to meet has also been linked by Indian agencies to few cases of fake Indian currency notes (FICN).’
In fact, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2011 had questioned few leaders at a monastery after the local police had seized few fake currency notes of Rs 500 denominations worth Rs 64 lakh at the Gyuto monastery. ‘The ED is also mulling to lodge an FIR in connection with that case,’ the sources added.
Bhatkal is infamous for mobilizing youth to join the cause endorsed by his likes. Indian Mujahideen is also involved in the nexus which facilitates the influx of fake currency notes into India through Nepal border. Bhatkal was rounded up by the Kolkata police in 2009 on charge of carrying fake currency notes.
However, he had managed to escape.
NIA sources added they had sent teams to several Indian cities as they didn’t want to miss the golden chance which they saw coming their way to arrest Bhatkal.
Meanwhile, the investigating agency on Friday got the custody Bhatkal and Akhtar for 12 days. Bhatkal was flown in on Friday morning at about 10 am and was taken to AIIMS for a routine check-up.
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