28 December 2000

COMMANDER WHO WANTED TO KILL SHIV SENA CHIEF ESCAPES

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: A high-level inquiry has been ordered into the escape of two
hardcore Pakistani militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba from the Surankote Police
Station in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday night, though one
of them was re-captured about three km away after a six-hour hunt.

The government is concerned about the incident since these militants had
been nabbed in Mumbai last month while planning to bump off Shiv Sena
supremo Bal Thackeray after a lot of efforts put in by the Special
Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu Police in coordination with the Mumbai
Police. The sentry on duty at the Police Station has been suspended.

The militants were identified as Mohd Tayab alias Abu Abdullah son of Nazir
Ahmed of Faisalabad, Pakistan and Mohd Afzal alias Abu Mohaz son of Bashir
Ahmed, a resident of Pattan, Lahore. While Mohd Tayab has been re-arrested,
Mohd Afzal, a ‘commander’ of Lashkar, was still at large.

Sources said the Army, BSF and police are continuing a massive combined
operation to apprehend Mohd Afzal before he manages to cross over to
Pakistan as the Line of Control (LoC) is barely five kms away from the spot
where his associate was apprehended.

Four militants, all Pakistanis, were arrested by SOG Jammu with the help of
Mumbai Police on November 23. The militants had planned to target Shiv Sena
supremo Bal Thackeray’s residence, RSS headquarters at Nagpur and vital Navy
installations in Mumbai. They had been arrested on a specific information
developed by SOG Jammu.

According to sources, all four militants were handed over to SOG Jammu by
Mumbai Police after about a fortnight of questioning. Of the four, two
militants were sent to Surankote police station lock-up as they were wanted
there in connection with cases registered for certain militant activities.

According to the available information, at about 0230 hours, both the
militants complained of an early nature’s call and asked the Sentry to open
the gate of lock-up. The Sentry responded. As soon as the duo came out, they
over-powered the Sentry and fled away.

A message was immediately flashed by police and security forces were put on
alert. At about 1015 hrs the same day Mohd Tayab was re-arrested as he was
moving towards the LoC for crossing over to Pakistan.

"Escape of Mohd Afzal was a big setback to security agencies as he was a
hardcore militant and a ‘commander’ of Lashkar outfit involved in a series
of militancy related incidents", the sources said, adding all out efforts
were being made to nab him. END