Indian Mujahideen in Nepal: Irfan Khan holds the key

New Delhi, May 12: Irfan Khan is one of the founding members of the Indian Mujahideen. His arrest on Monday put an end to the 15 year old chase by the Indian police and what is more important is that he can provide the details of the Nepal route that every terrorist used after carrying out a blast in India.

While several reports have suggested that Irfan Khan was a module head in Nepal, the fact is that from a foot soldier 15 years back he went on to become a facilitator for not just the IM, but for several other groups in Nepal.

Hide and seek with the police

Irfan Khan has been extremely lucky and managed to evade arrest for several years. He had first been arrested in the year 1994 for planting explosives on a Kanpur bound train at Delhi.

He was charged under the Terrorists and Disruptives Act. He was convicted in the year 1999 and then moved to a jail at Ajmer. In 2001, he was granted parole for four days to attend a wedding. He left for Kolkata where he met with Asif Reza Khan a member of the Indian Mujahideen.

That was the last that the police saw of him and he quietly managed to slip into Nepal. In Nepal he was lying low for several years.

However later he became a facilitator for all those operatives who would undertake blasts or take part in criminal activities in India. Once these persons would cross over into Nepal, Irfan Khan would make arrangements for them.

When luck ran out finally

Irfan Khan had been arrested by the Nepal police for trying to forge documents in a bid to obtain Nepali citizenship. He was lodged in the Sindhupal Chowk jail and this information was obtained by the Indian police.

However in the recent earthquake, the walls of the jail collapsed and this is said to have helped Irfan Khan escape from there. He headed to Uttar Pradesh and was residing out there, before the police tracked his location following which he was arrested.

What information can Irfan Khan provide?

Nepal has become a transit point for several operatives who commit acts of terror in India. Not just terrorists, but several smugglers and criminals too take the Nepal route to escape from the Indian police.

Irfan Khan was undercover in Nepal and ran a garment business for several years. Most of the operatives landing in Nepal would get in touch with him. Yasin Bhatkal the head of the Indian Mujahideen too was in touch with Irfan Khan before he was arrested.

Yasin had moved to Nepal and was making an attempt to cross over into Pakistan before he was picked up by the Central Intelligence agencies with the help of the police.

Khan holds the key to a big racket which helps terrorists and criminals get away from India with such ease. He has details of handlers in Pakistan with whom he would be in touch with to facilitate the movement of Indian operatives into Pakistan through Nepal.

OneIndia News