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Bengaluru terror-conspiracy case: CCB locates terror suspect’s girlfriend
With Junaid believed to be in Dubai, efforts are underway to arrest him and bring him to the country in cooperation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the officer added.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of police have found a new lead into the investigation of the alleged terror module in Bengaluru, which hit a standstill after the prime suspect, 28-year-old Junaid Ahmed, remained elusive, said officers in the know of the development.
The CCB have found the location of the Junaid’s girlfriend. “Investigation revealed that Junaid was calling his girlfriend from the country where he was hiding. The investigators came to know about this while checking his phone calls. Through her [Junaid’s girlfriend], we are gathering more information about Junaid,” said a CCB officer.
According to police, Junaid had told his girlfriend that he had gone to work in Dubai. She was also not informed about his violent activities and the recorded cases of robbery and murder. This lead, however, has given police a convincing evidence that the suspect was in Dubai and not Afghanistan as speculated earlier by some.
In 2021, Junaid relocated to Dubai using a passport issued before his 2017 arrest, which had no record of pending cases. “He was calling his girlfriend from there. Sources said that after learning about the arrest of his accomplices on July 19, he stopped calling his girlfriend,” the officer added.
With Junaid believed to be in Dubai, efforts are underway to arrest him and bring him to the country in cooperation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the officer added.
According to the police, Junaid played a pivotal role in directing the five individuals currently in custody, and he possesses exclusive knowledge of the plan to acquire arms and explosives.
On Wednesday, the Bengaluru police arrested five men - Syed Suhel Khan (24), Mohammed Umar (29), Zahid Tabrez (25), Syed Mudassir Pasha (28), and Mohammed Faisal (30) - suspected to be part of the terror module.
The raid yielded significant evidence, including seven country-made pistols, 45 live rounds of ammunition, walkie-talkie sets, a dagger, and 12 mobile phones. Furthermore, the CCB also discovered four hand grenades from the residence of one of the suspect.
Supervising the investigation, a senior police officer stated, “The five arrested individuals are essentially foot soldiers, who have served as Junaid’s accomplices in various criminal activities, such as murder, red-sanders smuggling, and the ongoing terror conspiracy.”
The suspects, previously employed as mechanics and drivers, were initially arrested in 2017 by the RT Nagar police for the kidnapping and murder of a businessman named Noor Ahmad, the officer said.
While serving their sentences at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, they reportedly established connections with T Nazir, a member of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and an accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blast case.
“The role of Nazeer is limited to brainwashing them. He ideologically motivated them, but the actual planning was carried out by Junaid, who was responsible for sending the packages containing the seized arms,” the officer added.
The police officer revealed that central agencies monitored three packages sent by Junaid to India, leading to the arrests by the Bengaluru Police based on a tip-off.
“Even though we have interrogated these individuals, they claim ignorance of the larger terror plot and insist that Junaid solely directed their actions,” said a CCB officer, requesting anonymity.
