BHUBANESWAR: Abdur Rehman, the al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operative who is currently in ten-day custody of Odisha Crime Branch (CB), had helped one of the extremists involved in the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC 814) to Kandahar hide in Cuttack, sources in the state investigating agency said.
Following his confession, the CB has launched a special drive to find out where exactly in Cuttack city the terrorist was hiding who gave him shelters.
According to Crime Branch special director general Dr Bijaya Kumar Sharma, a four-member team of the agency is grilling Abdur separately to extract further information on his anti-national activities. “Initially, Abdur did not spell out anything on his alleged involvement in subversive activities. However, when confronted with National Investigating Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) inputs, he confessed many things which are under examination,” Dr Sharma was quoted as saying to reporters in Cuttack.
The CB has also came to know that one of the accused involved in 2002 explosion at American Embassy in Kolkata was also given shelter in Cuttack. Abdur’s elder brother was arrested in connection with that case.
However, he was released later released for want of evidence. The CB is also examining the sources of funding of Abdur’s madrasa near Cuttack and Odisha and Jharkhand Jalsa programmes.
