THE CAT is out of the bag. Waliullah, Imam of a mosque in Phulpur township, who was earlier caught aligning with terrorists, was not picked up by the Special Task Force (STF) on the basis of mere suspicion but only after definite clues were found against him by investigating agencies.
Informed sources said Waliullah was taken away by the STF of Jammu & Kashmir after close monitoring of his activities and phone calls made by him to Pakistan and Bangladesh.
''We have no clues as yet of his direct involvement in terrorist activities in the country. But, we are sure that he had been arranging food and lodging for terrorists who had been coming into the country from across the border.
The J&K STF also had definite information that Waliullah had also taken up the task of making all arrangements for those persons who expressed their desire for undergoing training as terrorists across the border, said a police officer, who wished anonymity.
After the blasts at Sankat Mochan temple and the railway station in Varanasi, the J&K STF became more active and kept a close watch on this man whose involvement cannot be ruled out in the blast, he added.
Waliullah had earlier been arrested by the Phulpur police in 2001 along with his two brothers following recovery of some undisclosed weapons from his house, said police sources. Waliullah had reportedly come into SIMI's (the banned outfit) contact during his stay in Deoband for studies. It was through him that his two other brothers Ubaidullah and Wasiullah also came into contact with terror outfits. The trio following their arrest by the Phulpur police was charged with treason and sent to the Naini jail from where they were bailed out after about an year and a half. Since then they were under surveillance of various investigating agencies, sources said.
{{/usCountry}}Waliullah had earlier been arrested by the Phulpur police in 2001 along with his two brothers following recovery of some undisclosed weapons from his house, said police sources. Waliullah had reportedly come into SIMI's (the banned outfit) contact during his stay in Deoband for studies. It was through him that his two other brothers Ubaidullah and Wasiullah also came into contact with terror outfits. The trio following their arrest by the Phulpur police was charged with treason and sent to the Naini jail from where they were bailed out after about an year and a half. Since then they were under surveillance of various investigating agencies, sources said.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, in 2001, a terrorist was gunned down by the Lucknow STF which recovered several incriminating documents from his possession.
A letter found in his possession revealed that the terrorist had stayed with Waliullah and his brothers in Phulpur.
As a result cops swooped down on the residence of Waliullah who was caught along with Ubaidullah. Wasiullah was picked up from a madarsa in Kareilly locality of the city.
The trio had admitted having sheltered at least three terrorists only a few days ago along with deadly weapons.