I've no idea about these Indian Mujahideen men's role in 7/11: ATS chief

A senior Crime Branch official confirmed that the five were involved in the Mumbai blasts. But ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi was remarkably clueless, "I have no idea about these five men. I was not in the ATS then. Hemant Karkare was handling the team. I have not heard anything from the Crime Branch about their involvement in the 7/11 case."

"However, if we are told about their involvement, we will investigate and file a supplementary chargesheet," he added.

Yet, Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor, on the arrest of the above IM accused in September 2008, had clearly said, "The arrested accused are also involved in the 7/11 train blasts."

Their roles

Rashid, who came to Mumbai in 2005 and ran a optician shop in Andheri, had allegedly arranged for the stay of the above mentioned accused in a rented accommodation near his home in Sewri. A native of Azamgarh, he knew all the accused, who also hailed from his village Sanjerpur and Saraimeer in Azamgarh.

Over a telephonic conversation, Abdus, Abu Rashid's brother, told MiD DAY, "Atif and the other boys had gone to Mumbai to study and Rashid had arranged for their stay. But they later went to Delhi for further studies. They had come to Sewri in the first week of July 2006 and left in the second week of the same month, soon after the blasts."

The Mumbai police had missed nabbing Abu Rashid in September 2008. He left his home in Sanjerpur hours before the team arrived, claiming that he would be surrendering. The last his family heard from him was from Lucknow in September 2008.

Sadiq Sheikh is a programming engineer, who stays at Cheetah Camp with his family. He is said to be the co-founder of IM.

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