No Goa Zone - On Terror alert
Let's see. Sandy beaches. Louche living. White women in bikinis. Explosives from Pakistan. Cell leader is a doctor. Disco targeted. I don't know. It sure sounds like the Religion of Peace to me.
An alert has been sounded in Goa and police have intensified checking to track possible terror plots in the tourist hot spot, Chief Minister Digamber Kamat said yesterday. The move follows the arrest of a suspected militant in Karnataka who had allegedly confessed about his plans to strike in Karnataka and Goa. The militant had reportedly said that he could not translate his terror plans into action as he failed to receive a consignment of 50 kgs of RDX explosive from Pakistan.
"We have sounded an alert all over the state and security has been strengthened," the Chief Minister said. He said that the police department is carrying out checks to trace the possible terror links.
"According to our information, militants had visited Goa thrice just to survey the coastal areas and crowded places," Naik said. The State Government has sought complete details of the case and further comments could be made only after obtaining them, Naik said.
However, highly placed police sources said that the militants had the famous North Goa's Calangute-Baga beach belt in their hit list. The sources also said that a famous discotheque in the sea belt was a target.
About the suspects:
Naser and Asadullah also admitted that they had links with Afghan leader Mullah Omar, who told them to get more youths to Afghanistan for terrorist training. Omar is believed to have told them that he would give them Rs 10 lakh as reward for every youth brought for training. The sources said Naser and Asadullah might be taken to Bangalore on Wednesday for narco-analysis. The Honnali JMFC has granted permission to subject the duo to narcoanalysis.
The one that got away:
Another suspect, SIMI Karnataka chief Adnan alias Shafi, is believed to be a vital link to the terror network of Naser. Adnan is said to have given the police the slip and escaped with a huge cache of arms and ammunition.
The RDX consignment was allegedly smuggled to Hubli from Bangladesh by terror suspects Riyazuddin Naser alias Mohammed Ghouse and Asadullah Abubaker for triggering explosions across the State. This information was given by the two suspects interrogated by the CoD here.Top sources told Deccan Herald that the RDX consignment might be hidden in the forests of Kalghatgi. The CoD team searched the area within 20 km radius of Kalghatgi, including at Hazrat Sayyed Diwana Shah Wali Baba Dargah, Ganashettykoppa tank area and a temple situated in the forests, the sources disclosed.
And the Doctor? He ain't in the house, either.
Police launched a massive search for Mohammed Baig, reportedly the kingpin of the terror network in Karnataka. Baig, a medico suspected to be working for the banned SIMI even while studying Medicine at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) at Hubli, had gone underground last week.
On January 29, Baig was detained by Hubli Police and released after questioning on his alleged links with terror organisations.
His name was revealed during interrogation of LeT Suspects Riyazuddin Naser alias Mohammad Ghouse of Hyderabad, Asadullah Abubakar of Hospet and Mohammed Asif of Hubli.
The duo claimed Md Baig was the kingpin of the terror network in Karnataka.
It's LeT (Lashkar-e-Toyaba).
Riyazuddin Naser alias Ghouse, one of the suspected militants arrested recently in Karnataka, has reportedly confessed that he was recruited by Lashkar-e-Toyaba (LeT) to undertake terror activities in parts of the country and underwent training in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
|