IM links to east UP puts security agencies on alert

VARANASI: The east UP connection of absconding Indian Mujahideen (IM) modules, whose involvement had come to light in Bijnor blast, has put the security agencies on an alert.
Although Varanasi has not experienced any terror attack since December 7, 2010, the city and its surrounding region has not remained free from the shadow and activities of IM. Now, with a country-wide alert being sounded by the home ministry in view of possibility of terror attacks, the security agencies are focusing on groups who have links in east UP.
When the ATS started investigating Bijnor blast which took place in September, it came to light that IM modules fled from Khandwa (MP) jail in October 2013 were involved in it. ATS sources said that the kingpin of these modules, Abu Faizal, who was later arrested in MP in December 2013, has roots in Mau district. Though Faizal was born and brought up in MP and did not maintain his connection with Mau, the presence of sleeper modules in east UP region is keeping the officials concerned as possibility of seeking assistance by absconding IM operatives is still alive.
Until the kingpin of another IM group, Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu, was arrested by Delhi police in March, his network had remained active in districts like Mirzapur of this region. This fact was exposed when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested four persons from Mirzapur and Shankargadh in Allahabad for supplying explosives to Monu’s group for creating pipe bombs and exploding it in the rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Patna in October 2013.
The ATS officials said that similar pipe bomb had been recovered from a Varanasi-bound bus in February 2013. As similar bomb was recovered from Roorkee on December 6, the ATS is bound to focus on districts like Mirzapur, Allahabad and Sonebhadra where explosives used for mining is still easily available. Sources said that dependency of terror modules on locally available explosives is a major reason for attracting them to this region.
ASP (ATS) Santosh Singh said that in view of the past history of terror attacks in Varanasi, the agency never relaxes its operation here.