7/11 Mumbai train blasts: Prime accused had landed in police net in 2004, says ATS

Faisal Shaikh, prime accused in the July 11, 2006, Mumbai serial train blasts, had come under the radar of security agencies in 2004. Though security agencies had questioned him, they had no inkling that this was a terrorist who had undergone training at many Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) camps in Pakistan in 2002 and would eventually plan the train blasts.

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials told dna that Shaikh was arrested in Saudi Arabia in October 2004, while on way to Mecca. Though Faisal declared to the Saudi police that he was a Pakistani national, he couldn't produce a passport. But the Saudi police recovered an Indian driving licence from him, and he was jailed for a few days. "Indian embassy officials intervened and sent him to New Delhi on an 'emergency certificate'," ATS officials said.

At that time, he questioned and let off as there was no offences registered against him.

It now comes to light that Faisal trained under LeT commander Azam Cheema in Pakistan at the order of 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

Faisal, originally from Malegaon, went to Kothrud in Pune after completing his junior college in Mumbai. But after failing in his exams, Faisal dropped out of college. In 1996, Faisal and his brother Rahil came into contact with Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) sympathisers Sohail Shaikh and Rizwan Dawre (now wanted in the 11/7 case) in Pune.

In 2001, Faisal, Rahil and third brother, Muzammil, attended many SIMI meetings soon developed a radical mentality.

By now, Faisal was clear it's time for action. He was also clear about the next destination. On the pretext of meeting a relative in Pakistan, he secured a visa. Faisal's friend, Asif Abdul Rashid Shaikh, a resident of Kuber Garden in Pune, provided him the phone number of LeT operator Abu Harara from Lahore.

In January 2002, Faisal boarded the Samjhauta Express, reached Lahore and contacted Harara. Harara gave Faisal the address of Dawa-ul-Irshad at Chuburji Chowk in Lahore. The place was later identified as a recruitment hub of LeT. Faisal met Harara in Lahore and stayed there for a few days.

Faisal then met Abdul Razzak (wanted in the 11/7 case). Razzak, a resident of Hyderabad in India, had been training with the LeT for five months. Razzak told Faisal that though Zaki-ur-Rehman looks after training, Faisal would have to work with Cheema.

Razzak then sent Faisal to Karachi, where one Abu Zubair introduced him to another LeT commander Arif Kasmani. Kasmani told Faisal that he had trained several Indian Muslim youths and sent Faisal to a training centre in Muzaffarabad with Razzak. Faisal completed his training under the centre in-charge, Abu Rizwan.

Faisal told the police that during training, officials from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Pakistan military used to visit them and meet LeT commanders Kasmani, Cheema and Abu Muzzamil. After training, Cheema gave Rs 25,000 to Faisal with the orders that he should send youths in large numbers for training to Pakistan. Faisal then returned to India by the Samjhauta Express.

Once Faisal was in India, Cheema kept sending money to him through the hawala route and Faisal started recruiting youths in order to send them to Pakistan. He sent Nagpada resident Dr Tanvir Ansari, Worli resident Jameer, Ahmedabad resident Ubaid Chipa, Grant Road resident Raheel Abdul Rehman Shaikh, Beed resident Faiyyaz Kagzi (both wanted-accused in the Aurangabad arms haul case), Firoz Ghaswala and his own brother, Muzammil, to Pakistan for training.

According to a statement by Faisal, in January 2006, Cheema asked Faisal to select an appropriate target where the team could make a big incident happen. "Faisal, along with other convicts, Zamir and Sohail Shaikh, roamed around in local railway stations and visited World Trade Centre, Stock Exchange, Mahalakshmi temple, Siddhivinayak temple and a few big shopping malls. They found that security arrangements were very strict in the BSE, World Trade Centre and the temples. Then, it occurred to him that local trains will be the ideal targets," said an ATS officer.

Faisal then contacted Cheema in February 2006 and updated him about his choice. Cheema also liked the target and asked him to contemplate still more on it. "Faisal also travelled in local trains from Mumbai to Virar with Ehtesham Siddiqui, Tanvir Ansari, Jamir, Muzammil and Sohail Shaikh and found it easier to explode bombs at peak hours. He chose a working day evening for the act as trains are too crowded that point in time. Also, it will be very easy for them to mix in the crowd," the officer said.

Who is Azam Cheema?
Born in 1953, Cheema was one of the top LeT operation commanders till 2006. Cheema, alias Babaji, is a resident of Javed Chaudhary Bungalow at Chiburji Chowk in Bahawalpur in Pakistan. In 2006, Cheema was heading the LeT training centre at Muzaffarabad. In 2004, the first red-corner notice (RCN) was issued against him, when his name figured in an arms seizure case in Patan, Gujarat.

Faisal was jailed in Saudi in 2004
According to a statement by Faisal Shaikh to the ATS, Cheema made a Pakistani passport for him in the name of Mohmad Akram and attached a pilgrimage visa with it. "In October 2004, Faisal used this passport to go to Saudi. He visited Mecca on a few occasions. Once, while on his way to Mecca , he was going through a routine security check. He told the police that he is a Pakistani. But during the search, the police found that Faisal was carrying no passport but an Indian driving licence. Subsequently, he was jailed for three days. He was then taken to Jeddah and was kept behind bars for four days. "There, Indian embassy officials intervened and sent him to Delhi with an "emergency certificate", said an ATS officer.