Driver of RDX-filled jeep surrenders

Aurangabad/Mumbai, May 12 (UNI) Two days after the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) of Mumbai police made the biggest ever haul of 30 kgs of deadly explosive RDX from three terrorists in Aurangabad in a jeep, police got another breakthrough when the jeep driver surrendered to Aurangabad police this evening.

Abdul Aziz alias Raja, a resident of Beed, surrendered before the Mukundwadi police inspector James Ambildhage, police sources told UNI, adding he gave himself up after hiding for two days in forests around Ellora.

During preliminary interrogation, Raja told police he fled out of fear, claiming he did not know CPUs and computer monitors he took up for transport on hire concealed arms and ammunition besides the RDX. The arsenal comprising ten Kalashnikov assault rifles, 2,000 rounds of ammunition and 40 magazines besides the explosive was found stashed in hollowed-out CPUs and computer monitors. The three arrested terrorists had picked up the arsenal from a container near Manmad and were on their way towards Aurangabad when police arrested them after a 90-minute hot chase.

The surrender took place after police had grilled jeep owner Rafiq Shaikh who spilled the beans to his ATS interrogators that the jeep was rented out to one Raja by his car rental agency at Beed.

Shaikh said he believed Raja to be a driver who had hired the car for the elusive terrorists in Aurangabad.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that police have traced the movement of three fugitive terrorists near Ankai Fort on Manmad-Ahmednagar road.

They had escaped the police dragnet in Aurangabad district on Wednesday in the car found today.

Following this, about 100 policemen from Manmad have fanned out in and around the Ankai Fort to scout the escapee terrorists.

Earlier, the Nashik police today found the getaway car they used to flee at a place 150 kms from Malegaon on highway to Nashik, the sources said.

While preliminary interrogation of three terrorists arrested on Wednesday revealed that Mohammed Amir Shakeel Ahmed,30, is an activist of the banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), antecedents of his two accomplices - Mohammed Muzafar Tanvir, 26, and Mohammed Zubair Syyed Anwar, 24, - are being ascertained.

Meanwhile, Malegaon police have detained three people on the charge of trying to burn the car in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.

Malegaon SP Rajwardhan, while confirming their detention, told UNI they were being handed over to the ATS for investigation.

UNI XR SA Mir BD2217