Viqaruddin Ahmed, the self-styled chief of the fundamentalist outfit Tehreek Galbee- Islam (TGI), built a sound network in Gujarat, where he spent nearly two years. Further, sources in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Gujarat says that they have inputs to suggest that Viqar was in touch with most wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Rasool Khan Patty, who has been in Pakistan for the last several years after fleeing his home state of Gujarat.Sources in the Gujarat police told Express that Viqar, during interrogation, had revealed that he stayed at different places in Gujarat, mostly in Ahmedabad for nearly two years. ``When he was not in Hyderabad, Karnataka or Madhya Pradesh, he was in Ahmedabad. For most part of the last two years, he was here,Â’Â’ a senior official disclosed.
Officials said they have information to suggest that Viqar was in touch with Rasool Khan Patty, who is believed to be based in Karachi. ``Besides Patty, Viqar was in regular touch with the accused in the Haren Pandya (former Gujarat home minister) murder case, most of whom belong to Hyderabad and Nalgonda district. ``Once we get to interrogate him, all his links will come out. We know for sure that he was in touch with Muhammed Shahed alias Bilal (the self-styled commander of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al- Islami, believed to have been killed in a shootout in Karachi in August 2007),Â’Â’ the officials said.
``We have the names of the localities where he stayed in Ahemdabad and we are probing all his contacts here. He had a sound network here. A few times, he stayed in a hotel but mostly he stayed in the houses of associates,Â’Â’ officials said.
Viqar and his associates shot dead a Gujarat police constable when he prevented them from looting a bank in the Maninagar area in 2008. ``Yet, he had been visiting Ahmedabad by changing his appearance each time,Â’Â’ sources said.
ViqarÂ’s grilling by the Gujarat ATS is likely to lead to a few more arrests. After the Hyderabad police is through with the investigation of their cases, Viqar will be taken to Gujarat. The city police are anticipating a severe backlash from Saidabad-based fundamentalist groups, particularly Tehreek Tahfooz Sharia- e-Islam (TTSI), whose chief Moulana Naseeruddin spent several years in the Sabarmati jail in Gujarat for his alleged role in the killing of Haren Pandya.
In October 2004, when the Gujarat police team arrived in Hyderabad to arrest the Moulana, a mob protested against it outside the DGPÂ’s office which led the police to open fire. One youngster Mujahid Saleem was killed in the firing.