13 SIMI members nabbed in MP

Indore, Mar 27 (UNI) A case of ''waging war against the country'' was registered against 13 members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), including its former general secretary Safdar Nagori and its southern India chief Shivli, who were arrested here early today.

''The accused were suspected to have links with blasts in the Mumbai local trains, the Samjhauta Express and other major attacks.

One Ehtesham Siddiqui, who was mentioned in connection with the Mumbai transit explosions, had come to Ujjain,'' Inspector-General Anil Kumar told reporters here.

On the basis of inputs from Central Intelligence Organisations, Madhya Pradesh olice executed the arrests at a third-floor flat in Shyam Nagar. Seven pistols, 32 cartridges, nine cellphones, 15 masks, 22 surgical gloves, Rs 45,000 and several documents were seized.

Police teams from Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states were heading here for interrogating the accused -- Kamruddin Nagori, Aamil Pervez and Hafiz Hussain, the IG informed.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused had gathered for an annual meeting. Four were from Madhya Pradesh, four from Karnataka, three from Kerala and the rest from Maharashtra.

Safdar, wanted in blasts that took place in this State, hailed from Ujjain district's Unhel and possessed a journalism degree from Vikram University. His research related to terrorism in Kashmir.

The documents seized included several clippings linking SIMI with the Mumbai local train blasts and spoke of an ''Islamic'' nexus.

The accused would be presented in court tomorrow.

UNI Team-AC Mir GC2206