The city police claim to have apprehended an Indian Mujahideen operative, Kamal Hassan, who was allegedly involved in the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast conspiracy, from Kolkata on Tuesday.
The police, in their manhunt for the stadium blast mastermind Mohammed Ahmed Siddibapa Zarar alias Yasin Bhatkal, have nabbed Kamal Hassan (24), a native of Balha village in Madhubani district of Bihar.
He was brought to Bengaluru and produced before a court which remanded him to custody.
Kamal is a member of Indian Mujahideen’s Bihar cell and is said to be a close associate of Yasin Bhatkal, in charge of IM’s urban operations in India. Kamal was part of the conspiracy hatched in Bihar and Delhi in 2009 of the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts on April 17, 2010 was a part.
Kamal Hassan had settled at Nabi Karim in New Delhi for more than a decade and was involved in bag-making business. He was introduced to Yasin Bhatkal by Mohammed Qateel Siddiqui and Gauhar Aziz Khomeni, both natives of Bihar, in 2009 at Delhi. Qateel Siddiqui and Aziz Khomeni have already arrested.
Kamal Hassan was indoctrinated into jehadi activities by Yasin Bhatkal and tasked to provide logistical support in looking for hideouts in Bihar and New Delhi for all the IM operatives involved in the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts as well as the terror attack at Jama Masjid in Delhi on September 19, 2010.
Being an expert in preparing ammunition and cartridges, Kamal Hassan worked in Irshad Khan’s (father-in-law of Yasin Bhatkal) weapons factory at Mir Vihar, New Delhi, on the instructions of Yasin Bhatkal. Irshad Khan is also under arrest. Kamal Hassan was used for circulation of fake Indian currency between Kolkata and New Delhi, transportation of explosives which were to be used in different blasts after 2009 and stealing of vehicles.
Kamal’s movement with Yasin Bhatkal was recorded in Bihar, West Bengal, Nepal, Maharastra, UP and Delhi.