Indian Mujahideen bandits target growing tourism industry

India’s growing tourism industry is now on the radar of the Indian Mujahideen terror outfit, which appears determined to project India being unsafe for tourists.

This was why it targeted German Bakery in Pune, which is frequented by foreigners visiting the nearby Osho commune, as well as Taiwanese tourists outside Delhi’s Jama Masjid.

This alarming shift in the IM’s modus operandi was revealed after one of its terror modules was busted recently.

Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Mohammed Adil, alias Ajmal, said during interrogation that he had also surveyed Dilli Haat and the Paharganj area, which is frequented by budget tourists.

“This marks a shift in the IM’s strategy, obviously done at the insistence of its Pakistani handlers, the Inter-Services Intelligence. Prior to 2008, the IM usually targeted only crowded places like markets,” a senior intelligence official said.

Pune blast plot hatched in Pak

Investigations have confirmed that the conspiracy for the German Bakery blast was also hatched in Pakistan by Riyaz Bhatkal following which he directed Ahmad Siddi Bappa, alias Shahrukh, to go to Pune and organise the necessary logistics for which he travelled to Pune several times.

In fact, Sahahrukh was so secretive about his operations that when in India he used to contact the Bhatkal brothers in Karachi only through the e-mail while he used to talk to them on phone only when he went to Nepal which he often did.

Shahrukh, the investigators claim, was highly suspicious that his phones would be easily tracked by the intelligence agencies and did not want to take any chances.

The intelligence agencies have now managed to get a series of phone numbers in Nepal that were being used regularly by Shahrukh and other IM operatives.

Questioning of the six IM operatives has also revealed that the outfit had set up a network in Mirganj and Araria in Bihar apart from Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and Madhubani. Shahrukh in fact stayed at both Mirganj and Araria when he was on the run after IM’s top leadership was wiped out in wake of the Batla House encounter in 2008.

Investigators claim the possibility of Shahrukh having sneaked into Nepal cannot be ruled out.