A terror plot to blow up Belagavi busted? Police probe on

Bengaluru, Dec 7: The Karnataka police are conducting an important investigation in which they are trying to ascertain whether cities in Northern Karnataka especially Belagavi was under the threat of a terrorist attack.

The police investigation has show far shown that a newspaper boy was clicking pictures of sensitive locations around Belagavi and on being questioned, he said that he was doing so at the behest of one Salamati Ejaz Bihari an editor of an Urdu newspaper.

Bihari however, denied all the allegations and said that he had told the boy to shoot the pictures as he was building up a data base for his newspaper. Originally from Bihar, the editor had settled in Kalburgi several years back.

The operation was jointly carried out by the police teams of Belagavi and Kalburgi. It is still a premature case, a police officer said while also adding that they are ascertaining all information before coming to any conclusion.

The case has been booked on the basis of the pictures that were retrieved and we found that images of very sensitive locations were being shot.

The police had also arrested two other journalists in connection with this case. However they were let off after no evidence cropped up against them. However Bihari will be questioned and the police would seek his custodial interrogation before a local court.

Bihari was detained by the police along with 2 other journalists from Kalburgi, a northeastern city. While the two other journalists were let off, Bihari, was formally arrested by the police.

He will be produced before the court in Belagavi today by the Kalburgi police. Qureshi was arrested by the Belagavi police while he was filming the security check-points at the local airport. On the basis of information provided by Qureshi, the police arrested Bihari.

An intelligence bureau official informed OneIndia that it would be too premature to comment. Parts of North Karnataka are extremely sensitive in nature and in the past there have been attempts made to carry out strikes.

Attempts to strike at Hubbali following an alleged SIMI camp had also been unearthed and thwarted by the police several years back.

Meanwhile, the state government has not taken any decision on whether to send a specialised team from Bengaluru or not.

A lot would depend on the gravity of the case and how investigations by the local units shape up. Based on this a decision would be taken, a senior official in Bengaluru said.

However, as of now the local police will do its job, the officer also added.

OneIndia News