Batla House encounter was not fake says IM operative
Ariz Khan of the Indian Mujahideen was a major catch for the security agencies. Amidst a wide spread debate about the Battle House encounter, Khan has told security agencies that the operation was not a fake one.
He told the NIA that his accomplice Atif Ameen tried to escape but was caught by Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma. Atif grabbed the gun from Sharma and began firing. Sharma passed away in the encounter and was awarded the Ashok Chakra posthumously.
Ariz
also
confessed
that
it
was
the
IM
operatives
who
began
firing
first
following
which
the
police
returned
fire.
He
said
that
the
first
attempt
by
the
police
was
to
arrest
them.
Khan
also
said
that
they
had
planned
on
targeting
various
important
and
prominent
places
such
as
Delhi
by
carrying
out
serial
blasts.
The
NIA
had
filed
a
case
in
this
regard
in
2012
against
the
members
of
the
Indian
Mujahideen
for
waging
war
against
the
country.
The NIA further learnt that the blasts were carried with the support of homegrown terror modules as well as support from Pakistan. Khan alias Junaid aged 32 had played a key role in the conspiracy. He was involved in almost all major blasts that ripped the country between 2005 and 2008. The NIA says that Junaid was involved in the serial blasts at Delhi (2005), Varanasi (2006), Uttar Pradesh (2007), Jaipur (2008) and Delhi again in 2008. He was charged by the NIA on September 2014.
Further, the NIA has also learnt that he was part of the Batla House encounter. He was present with four others and had managed to give the police the slip on September 19, 2008. Following the incident, he along with his accomplice, Shahzad had visited their relatives. They moved from Delhi to UP and from there to Rajasthan and later Maharashtra.
After being denied help, they slipped into Nepal. In Nepal, Khan alias Junaid obtained a passport and citizenship under the name of Salman Khan. He then began teaching at a school along with another mastermind Abdul Subhan. He stayed in Nepal till 2014 until he came in contact with IM co-founder, Riyaz Bhatkal. He then moved to Saudi Arabia and was tasked with raising money for the revival of the outfit.
He then returned to India and got in touch with the members of the group. He was attempting to revive the outfit with the help of Subhan who was arrested recently.
However, when he was scheduled to meet a contact in Uttar Pradesh, he was nabbed. He has been remanded in NIA custody until the 24th of April.