Authorities in Saudi Arabia have confirmed to the CBI, the nodal agency for the Interpol in India, that they have nabbed Fasih Mehmood, an alleged terror suspect. Mehmood is wanted by the Delhi and the Karnataka police for his alleged involvement in the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts in Bengaluru and the shooting incident near Jama Masjid (Delhi) in 2010.
According to sources, the CBI has initiated the process for the deportation of Mehmood, an engineer hailing from Bihar. He was arrested there on an Interpol red-corner notice (RCN), which was issued on the request of the CBI on May 31, 2012, sources said.
The RCN had been issued against 28-year-old Mehmood on a request from the CBI for offences of terrorism and crimes involving the use of weapons and explosives. The CBI had approached the Interpol at the request of the Delhi and the Karnataka police for the alleged role of Mehmood in two blasts.
Mehmood’s wife Nikhat Parveen had earlier approached the Supreme Court seeking direction to the government to trace her husband. She had alleged that her husband was allegedly picked up by Indian intelligence agencies from his residence in Saudi Arabia.
Sources in the CBI said, “He has been recently nabbed by authorities concerned in Saudi Arabia. He was not detained by Indian intelligence agencies as alleged by his family members.” The CBI sleuths are in touch with the Interpol unit of Saudi Arabia through diplomatic channels, sources added.
“If required, the CBI may send a team of its officials to Saudi Arabia to expedite the process of early deportation of Mehmood by interacting with officials of the agency concerned there.