Arrested IM suspect lost job due to radical mind: NIA

Abdul Wahid Siddibapa, a suspected senior operative of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), was forced to leave his job as a driver at a Dubai company due to his "radical mentality".

New Delhi, Nov 16: Abdul Wahid Siddibapa, a suspected senior operative of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), was forced to leave his job as a driver at a Dubai company due to his "radical mentality", according to the NIA.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday filed a supplementary chargesheet, along with the statement of Mohammad Ubaid Kola, the owner of Kola Enterprises -- a toy company in Dubai that had hired Siddibapa, and other employees of the company.

Kola, whose business is to import toys from China and India and distribute in the local market at Oman, Dubai and other places, in his statement said his father in 2009 offered Siddibapa a job as driver with a salary of 2,500 Dirham.

"During my conversation with Siddibapa, it appeared to me that he was a radicalised person, as he used to quote certain verses of the holy Quran, which were related to the Jihad in Islam," Kola said in his statement.

"He used to keep certain persons like Anwar Hussain alias Noor, who was associated with the IM organisation, and ... he used to quote me certain occurrences like Babri Masjid demolition incident, Gujrat riots, etc., and would instigate me that being a Muslim, I should do something to avenge the atrocities which were committed on the Muslim community in India," he stated.

Kola said he had tried to persuade Siddibapa to not adopt such mentality or thinking.

Kola also took the initiative of keeping him in the company of Islamic scholars, but all in vain, as Siddibapa did not change his attitude.

Since despite "my repeated instructions to change his (Siddibapa) attitude, he did not oblige me, so I sacked him from the job of driver around 2010", the statement said.

The Kola Enterprises owner also told NIA that Noor used to visit him frequently and used to address Siddibapa as 'Khan'.

Noor, a wanted accused, is on the run.

Similar accounts were also given by other employees of the company. They also said that in 2013, they came to know through open sources that Siddibapa was an IM cadre.

The NIA has chargesheeted Siddibapa for various offences under sections 121A (waging war against the Government of India) and 123 (concealing facts with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of the Indian Penal Code and under provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The fresh supplementary chargesheet was filed before Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Pandit, who on Wednesday took cognizance of the chargesheet and posted the matter for December 6 for further hearing.

The NIA chargesheet says that Siddibapa conspired to stage terror attacks at various places in India, recruited Indian youth for the IM and funded their activities.

Described as the financial brain of the terror outfit, Siddibapa lived in Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

He was arrested here in May following his deportation from Dubai.

The NIA alleged that Siddibapa had been in touch with other IM operatives through electronic communication.

A Red Corner notice was issued against him in December 2013.

Siddibapa was also wanted for his alleged involvement in the July 2006 Mumbai serial blasts, 2008 Delhi blasts and the 2010 Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bengaluru.

He allegedly routed the money using both banking channels and Western Union Money Transfer.

He left for Dubai much before the crackdown on the IM started in 2008. He was detained in the United Arab Emirates and arrested in January 2014.

IANS