Suspected Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) operative Salim Khan, who was arrested from Mumbai airport on July 17 and brought to Lucknow on Friday, had met LeT top commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhavi during his visit to Pakistan occupied Kashmir in 2007 and was in constant touch with him since then.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) of UP Anti Terror Squad Asim Arun said Khan revealed during interrogation that he first met Lakhvi, who is on the most wanted list of National Investigation Agency (NIA), when ISI arranged his training at a terror camp in Muzaffarabad of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Arun said Khan, who is resident of UP’s Fatehpur district, was inducted in the LeT group by ISI as its agents when he worked at a coffee shop in Saudi Arabia around 10 years ago.
Khan met two LeT men Kaushar and Sharif at the coffee shop and they arranged his meeting with an ISI agent, who arranged his visit to Pakistan, Arun said adding another ISI man Mohd Ahmad helped Khan to come out of Pakistan airport after reaching there and took him to LeT terror camp in the mountain areas of Muzaffarabad.
Arun said Khan was suspected to be in constant touch with Lakhvi and ISI since then. He said he along with Kaushar and Sharif was also involved in the terror attack on CRPF camp in Rampur on January 1, 2008. Khan was on the ATS radar ever since Kaushar and Sharif revealed his name after their arrest. Khan, however, managed to flee the country, Arun added.
{{/usCountry}}Arun said Khan was suspected to be in constant touch with Lakhvi and ISI since then. He said he along with Kaushar and Sharif was also involved in the terror attack on CRPF camp in Rampur on January 1, 2008. Khan was on the ATS radar ever since Kaushar and Sharif revealed his name after their arrest. Khan, however, managed to flee the country, Arun added.
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He said Khan was living in Saudi Arabia since then and was involved in recruiting youths for ISI and LeT through his network in UP. Khan also had the responsibility to arrange finances for the ISI agents and LeT men operating in India. Khan’s name resurfaced recently after the arrest of another ISI agent Aftab from Faizabad on May 3.
Khan was arrested from Mumbai airport when Saudi Arabia deported him back to India. He was deported back after visa to stay there expired and was arrested for illegal stay in Saudi Arabia.