To strengthen their case against two terror suspects arrested for allegedly plotting attacks in the city, the Anti-Terrorism Squad will make witnesses the duo’s friends, who were lured by them to go to Pakistan for terror training, an ATS official said here.
The anti-terror unit is giving final touches to the chargesheet that would be filed soon against the two arrested terror suspects and their handler in Pakistan, who allegedly plotted strikes at the ONGC headquarters and two markets here, the official added.
On March 13, the ATS had arrested Abdul Latif alias Guddu (29) and Riyaz Ali alias Rehan (23) from near Matunga railway station in central Mumbai.
“The two had tried to lure at least 10 of their friends and tried to involve them in their terror activities. They wanted to send them to Pakistan by arranging passports for them,” the official claimed.
“Their friends got frightened and refused to go against the nation. They didn’t want to get involved in any terror activities,” the official said, adding “We will make their friends witnesses to make the case stronger against the two.”
The duo had allegedly conducted recce of three targets — headquarters of public sector Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Thakkar Mall and Mangaldas Market in the city — and were planning to carry out attacks which included sabotage and setting them on fire, the ATS added.
The duo used to receive instructions from a person in Karachi whom they referred as “Uncle”, it alleged.
The “Uncle” could be Bashi Khan, an aide of Tiger Memon who is closely associated with mafia fugitive Dawood Ibrahim and is one of the masterminds of the 1993 blasts in Mumbai, the official said.
Khan is accused of having transported explosives to Mumbai prior to the serial blasts. —PTI