100 kg RDX smuggled in, says militant

About 100 kg of RDX has been smuggled into India from Bangladesh and 20 kg of it has made its way to Delhi, a terrorist has told intelligence agencies. Tushar Srivastava reports.

About 100 kg of RDX has been smuggled into India from Bangladesh and 20 kg of it has made its way to Delhi, a Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami terrorist has told central intelligence agencies.

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The disclosure by Jalaluddin Molla alias Babu Bhai, believed to be the operations chief of HUJI, comes days before Diwali, raising fears in the Capital which saw blasts before the festival two years ago. On October 29, 2005, three blasts claimed 59 shoppers two days before the festival of lights.

Molla, said to be reporting directly to HUJI chief Qamar alias Nata in Bangladesh, was arrested by Uttar Pradesh police on a tip-off from central intelligence agencies.

Molla has revealed that he had personally delivered 20 kg of RDX to Shahbaz alias Ravi in Mumbai, 40 kg to a contact called Raju in Benaras, 20 kg to Guru alias Rocky near Jama Masjid in Delhi and 18 kg in Kolkata, the intelligence report that has been accessed by the Hindustan Times, said.

The report mentioned that Molla, who got the name Babu Bhai when he was inducted into the outfit, was wanted in the kidnap-
ping of shoe baron Partha Pratim Roy Burman, the owner of the Khadims’ footwear brand in Kolkata.

Sources said the information gathered from Molla was been taken seriously, especially as his outfit is suspected to have a hand in the Ajmer, Samjhauta Express and Hyderabad blasts.

Intelligence sources said Molla’s primary job, in addition to recruiting youths for HUJI, was to smuggle RDX from Bangladesh through his men.

Sleuths said the operation would have been a complete success had the intelligence agencies managed to nab Rocky, the key HUJI operative in north India to whom Mollah had delivered 20 kg of RDX in Delhi. Molla had gone to Lucknow from Kolkata to collect a consignment of timers and detonators from Rocky when he was arrested.

“Molla’s arrest has helped us to the extent that we know what these people are thinking and how they are working to execute their plans. It has also helped shed light on the kind of network HUJI has managed to set up in India,” a senior intelligence official said.