SIMI training spot located, explosives seized

Indore, Apr 2 (UNI) A training spot of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) has been located by police and explosive in huge quantity seized in forest near Choral river near here.

''As many as 122 gelatin sticks and 100 detonators were recovered from the training site where training camps had been organised previously,'' Dhar Superintendent of Police Chanchal Shekhar said.

The training camp was organised in the premises of farmhouse and nearby land at Gawalu village in Khargone district. Farm house owner Shahzad Hussein Mahuwala has been arrested.

Five training camps had been organised here and nineteen national level SIMI activists got training from here. Explosions, firing and other exercises were performed in these camps.

A camp was reportedly also organised at Jagir village at Maksi road.

Mr Shekhar said training camps had been organised at sites where it could not be easily located.

''Help of sniffer dog 'Rakhi', an expert at detecting bombs, was taken in today's operation. It went to a ditch and pointed towards it. When mud and leaves were removed from two ditches, explosives were found. Besides, bundle wire, starter, VCD, poster and slips were seized,'' he said.

Meanwhile, apprehended SIMI activists believed that five camps had been organised -- last camp was organised during September-October 2007. Besides, camps had been reportedly organised at Hubli and Kelrasak near Dharwad in Karnataka.

Police were trying to find out from where the explosives had been brought.

On March 27, police had arrested 13 SIMI activists, including its Madhya Pradesh Chief Safdar Nagori, from Indore. Later, seven more were arrested from Indore, five from Ujjain and two from Khandwa.

More 40-50 supporters could be arrested.

UNI AA-PS 2020