'Foreign hand behind Aurangabad arms cache'

Police suspects involvement of a foreign power in the plot to bring the huge arms and ammunitions by suspected LeT operatives.

Police suspects involvement of a "foreign power" in the plot to bring the huge arms and ammunitions by suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives near Aurangabad and unearthed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad, Director General of Police PS Pascricha said in Mumbai on Monday.

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The ATS is in search of Jamiruddin Ansari who, according to the ATS, was the brain behind mobilising arms and explosives and was the only person who was in touch with the elements behind the plot.

"We are searching for Jamiruddin and we are hopeful that his interrogation would lead us to valuable information," ATS DIG Jaijit Singh said in Mumbai on Monday.

Pasricha said investigations done by ATS so far have indicated the involvement of a "foreign power" in the plot.

"The nature of the plot and the subversive acts which the suspects intended to execute is a matter of investigation," Pasricha said.

After Sunday night's seizure of one more cache of arms and explosives from Malegaon in Nasik district, the ATS has so far seized 16 AK-47 rifles, 43kg RDX, 50 hand grenades, 3200 rounds and 80 magazines.

This was followed by the arrest of Abdul Azim (driver of the four-wheeler used by the suspects), Mushtaq Ahmed, Mohammed Ishaq, Javed Ahmed, Afzal Khan and Riyaz Ahmed and Dr Mohammed Sharif, the DGP said.