Hardcore Lashkar Operative Held in Hyderabad

Making a big breakthrough, Hyderabad police has taken into custody a hardcore Lashkar operative from Edibazar in the city, said media reports.

Police recovered two Chinese-make grenades, a 7.4 mm pistol with six live rounds and a cellphone from Mohd Zia-ul-Haq, said reports.

Talking to reporters, city police commissioner AK Khan said: “We had information that a few suspected terror elements were planning to strike at thickly populated areas. We foiled their bid and arrested Zia-ul-Haq.”

According to reports, acting on a tip-off police picked up a few suspects and of them, Haq, 34, was found to be an LeT operative.

Haq, a native of Khanapur in Adilabad district, was working as a cab driver in the city, reports said.

Khan said that Haq left for Saudi Arabia to work there while he was studying intermediate and got acquainted with a Pakistani national Abu Ali there, said reports.

Ali introduced Haq to LeT commander Abdul Aziz, who sent him to Pakistan in 2002 for training, said the commissioner.

Khan said that after reaching Karachi, Haq went to Muzaffarabad where he was received by one Abu Khasim and trained at an LeT camp for a month, reports said.

Haq later infiltrated into India through the Poonch sector of Jammu & Kashmir along with seven other Indians and has been working with various travel companies as cab driver since, said the commissioner.

Khan said that Haq did recee of several places like Hi-Tec City, Imax and Chikkadpally, said reports.

He said that in December, 2005, Haq reportedly received a call from Abdul Aziz tasking him to proceed to Delhi.

Haq went to Delhi and received four hand grenades and a pistol with six live rounds from a courier sent by LeT handler Mehamood.

The LeT commander started mounting pressure on Haq to execute a ‘sensational offence’ and he went to Odeon Deluxe theatre in Chikkadpally on May 7, 2006 and lobbed a grenade under a seat 10 minutes before interval at around 10.15 pm.

He wanted to throw another grenade outside the cinema, however, since the one lobbed inside the hall exploded, he left the second one in a dustbin, the commissioner said.

Though he remained inactive since 2006, of late, he wanted to revive his contact with LeT handlers. He was tasked to cause explosions in the city, he added.

(Based on internet reports)