Jaish-e-mohammad could be behind patan arms haul

A day after major RDX and arms haul from Patan, the possibility that the miscreants could belong to dreaded militant outfit Jaish-E-Mohammad is gaining strength. Sources said considering the reported dressing style of the four people there is every possibility that they belong to the banned terrorist group. Sources said on Sunday that one of the four absconding was well-versed with the geography of the state and this helped them escape.

It has been reliably learnt that the foursome could have headed for Rajasthan. The Central Bureau of Investigation, Delhi, had seized 14 kg RDX, two AK-56 rifles, two Chinese made pistols, four kg IED, and over 600 cartridges from a truck bearing Rajasthan registration number plate. The seizure was made at 2.30 am near a restaurant, at Santalpur. six kilometers from Patan.

It is notable here that the RDX has been seized just a few days before the arrival of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Union home minister L.K. Adavani, who are Scheduled to attend golden jubilee celebration of jyotirlinga consecration at famous Somnath Temple on October 31, Sardar Patel Jayanti.

It may also be recalled that lethal weapons were seized from a militant of Lashkar-E-Toiba just a day before the Prime minister was to visit the quake affected Kutch in February. Reportedly the militant is still being interrogation at the Joint Interrogation Centre, Kutch. According to sources, the Jaish-E-Mohammed is visibly irked by the fact that it was the first organisation to be banned under the recent central government’s Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance Act. The fact that India convinced the US to ban the outfit, which is notoriously known for changing its name every now and then to escape the ban, could also have provoked the outfit to look for greener pastures for its activities in India. Also, it is a known fact that pilgrimage places Dwarka and Somnath are on the priority list of militant outfits.

The seizure is the first successful operation of a core group of senior CBI officials, which was formed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11 this year, sources added. Meanwhile, the CBI has created a new post of additional superintendent of police in order to strengthen the network of the agency in the state.

The successful work carried out by the superintendent of police Rajnish Rai will get a new impetus due to the post, sources said. It has also been learnt from sources that a deputy superintendent of police will be promoted to the new post but the name has not been finalised as yet.

Republished from The Asian Age