3 more arrests in Red Fort case

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN. 4. Three more persons were arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police today in connection with the Red Fort shoot-out a fortnight ago. The three had allegedly helped the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant, Ashfaq Ahmed, by arranging for his accommodation and procuring a fake driving licence for him from Ghaziabad.

According to the police, Babar Mohsin Bagwala had provided shelter to Ashfaq at his Jama Masjid house here following Ashfaq's arrival in Delhi in May last year. He had then helped him in getting a house in the Zakir Nagar area of Okhla with the help of Yunus and Azam Malik, residents of the same area.

Ashfaq had been asked to contact 30-year-old Babar, a resident of the Jama Masjid area by his two associates Abu Bilal and Abu Haider. A graduate in science from the Jamia Millia Islamia University, Babar had reportedly worked with the Noida branch of Daewoo Motors for some time. Police said he had been aware of Ashfaq's background and the purpose of his visit to the capital. Babar has been arrested for harbouring a criminal under Section 212 of the Indian Penal Code.

Ashfaq's interrogation has further revealed that most of the money received by him for conducting the Red Fort operation was via hawala. Around Rs. 35 lakh was transferred to a Srinagar account through the Connaught Place and New Friends Colony branch of the Standard Chartered Grindlays Bank. The Srinagar bank accounts were under the name of Farooq Ahmed, Nazir and Sons and Bilal Ahmad Kawa. Farooq Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed, the owner of Nazir and Sons, and Maqbool Ahmed have been meanwhile arrested by the Srinagar police under Section 13 of Unlawful Act.

Police said Babar had revealed during interrogation that one of his cousins, Yawar Khan, had been with the Hizb-ul- Mujahideen and was shot dead in Srinagar recently. His other involvements are being further probed, said police.

The other two arrested have been identified as Devender Singh and Shahanshah Alam. Ashfaq had reportedly contacted Devender Singh, who runs the Seven Star Motor Driving School on Okhla Road, New Friends Colony, for getting a driver's license. Devender in turn contacted Alam, a Ghaziabad based tout through Rajiv Malhotra, a resident of the same area. The license was made on payment of Rs. 2,000 by giving a fake address of Kela Batha, Ghaziabad. Both Devender Singh and Shahanshah Alam were arrested today.

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