Senior RSS leader Prabhakar Bhat was primary target of D-Gang

New Delhi, Jan 21: Investigations being conducted by the police following the busting of a module comprising sharpshooter of the D-Gang has revealed that key RSS functionaries from south India were on their radar.

When the sharpshooters were arrested, the Delhi Police learnt that two high-profile personalities were on their hit-list. One of them was Prabhakar Bhat Kalladka, RSS leader from Karnataka, an official told OneIndia.

The police have learnt that this was an operation that focused on leaders in South India. Another VHP leader was the on the hit-list investigations have also found. The intention was to kill these leaders in a bid to create communal tension, the police said.

The entire operation was plotted by Rasool Party, a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim.The Intelligence Bureau had been tracking the calls between Party and the sharpshooters since December 2018. One of them was an Afghan national, while another is from Kasargod in Kerala.

Riyazzudin, Mohammad Saifi and Muthasim were handpicked by Party to undertake this operation. Muthasim, a resident of Kerala had shared the targets with Saifi. Riyazuddin was later roped in and was told to procure the arms for the operation. At the time of their arrest, the police recovered a pistol and six live cartridges from them.

The police say that Muthasim was providing the logistics for the operation. They had Prabhakar Bhat, who is from Dakshin Kannada on their radar. While Riyazzudin had brought in the weapons, the killing was to be carried out by Saifi, the Afghan national.

Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that they have been on the trail of this module since December. In that month, an intercept was picked up, which led to the trailing of this module.

Rasool Party is heard speaking to the Kerala resident about two-high profile targets. During the conversation, it was also found that the duo were planning on procuring weapons for the operation.

When the four members were arrested from Nizamuddin, the police found on them weapons. Among the four arrested, Raja was highly trained. He is ace sharpshooter and hence was picked up for this very important task.

Party has been under the radar of the agencies for long. He is one of the key-conspirators in the murder of former Gujarat home minister, Haren Pandya. Party is a key player and was instrumental in transporting several youth from Gujarat and Hyderabad to a terror module in Bangladesh.

The busting of this module comes close on the heels of the agencies carrying out investigations into the ISIS inspired module. IB sources say that several such modules have been mushrooming in India, courtesy the ISI, which has set up several plots to disrupt the general elections to held in a few months from now.