5 chargesheeted for ‘sheltering’ SIMI men

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Additional Superintendent of Police, ATS, Rajesh Srivastava said they have filed the chargesheet after obtaining prosecution sanction from the government against them. The chargesheet has been filed under IPC sections 121 A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by section 121 which is waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India), 122 (Collecting arms, etc, with intention of waging war against the Government of India) and Unlawful Activities Act.

On September 12, 2014, a blast took place in a house owned by an 80-year-old woman Neelo Devi and rented to one of the SIMI men Shaikh Mehboob, who reportedly had suffered burn injuries on face and hands. The ATS found that the blast occured while he was assembling the bomb. The police had recovered several objectionable items including large quantity of matchsticks, explosives, half assembled bombs, a laptop, a .32 bore pistol, three voter-ID cards bearing Hindu names and two Urdu books from his room.

Shaikh was taken to a private clinic at Mukhya Dakghar crossing by his associates. During investigation, CCTV footages collected from near the clinic showed the SIMI men carrying the injured Sheikh from the clinic.

On the basis of the CCTV footages followed by photo verification from its Madhya Pradesh counterparts, the ATS identified six suspects as SIMI men Shaikh Mehboo alias Gudoo alias Malik (25), Mohammad Aslam alias Bilal (26), Amjad alias Pappu alias Daud (25), Mohammad Aijajuddeen (30), Zakir Hussain alias Sadiq (32) and Mohammad Salik alias Sallu.

With the exception of Salik, others were on the run since their escape from Khandwa district jail.

The investigations later revelated that three of the SIMI men were staying at Neelo Devi’s house while the rest lived in the house of Rahees in the same locality for two months. Neelo Devi, who died a few months after the incident, told the police that the three suspects had taken the room on rent calling themselves Hindu men from Moradabad in search of jobs.

Last year, the UP ATS sent a proposal to the state government requesting to announce cash reward of Rs one lakh for information on each SIMI men. The government is yet to take a decision on the proposal.