Rahil Ataur-Rehman Sheikh, software engineer and absconding accused in the Mumbai July 11, 2006, serial train blasts, was detained at London airport on Tuesday on the basis of a Red Corner Notice issued by New Delhi.
Rahil is the elder brother of arrested accused and alleged mastermind Faisal Sheikh and is accused by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of having played key role in channeling funds through hawala to his brother for the attack.
Confirming his detention, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deven Bharti said: “We have information he has been detained. It will take some time to complete the extradition process.”
The CBI, however, “did not get a confirmation” on the arrest till Tuesday evening, according to its press information officer R.K. Gaur.
Sheikh, one of the 15 absconding accused in the case according to the ATS chargesheet, was linked to the 37,000 rials (around Rs 3.81 lakh) that police recovered from Faisal’s residences in suburban Bandra and Mira Road.
Sheikh and his friend and absconding co-accused Rizwan Dawre allegedly acted as conduits between the fund-provider — the blast’s co-mastermind and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba training chief Azam Cheema — and Faisal. The money was sent via Riyadh/Dubai before and after the blasts.
{{/usCountry}}Sheikh and his friend and absconding co-accused Rizwan Dawre allegedly acted as conduits between the fund-provider — the blast’s co-mastermind and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba training chief Azam Cheema — and Faisal. The money was sent via Riyadh/Dubai before and after the blasts.
{{/usCountry}}“Rahil Sheikh is Faisal’s own brother and played a part in financing the train blasts,” Additional DGP K.P. Raghuvanshi, who led the ATS during its blast probe, told HT on Tuesday.
Sheikh also allegedly made travel arrangements for some youth who Faisal sent to the Lashkar training base in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur.