Bhubaneswar: The Special Task Force under Crime Branch of Odisha Police on Thursday began interrogation of the four SIMI activists who were arrested at Rourkela during a joint operation with Telangana police.
An eight-member STF team led by Crime Branch IG Arun Kumar Bothra arrived at Rourkela after the local police took the four SIMI operatives and a woman on a seven day remand.
The STF also moved the local court seeking 30 days remand for the five persons as they were involved in a series of crimes in multiple states.
"Our people have started interrogation of the five persons at Rourkela. We will like to ascertain their activities in the state and their associates who helped them stay in the state as well as arrange fake documents," said Crime Branch Special DG B K Sharma.
Preliminary investigation have so far revealed that the operatives of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) had local contacts who arranged houses for them on rent and facilitated their stay in the state. Besides Rourkela, they had also taken shelter in Bhadrak district for some time.
"We would also like to ascertain which crime they were involved in and what were their plans in the state. The police from different states like Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharastra and Uttar Pradesh are likely to interrogate the five persons who took shelter in Rourkela," Sharma said. Sharma said the STF would like to share information with other state police.
"We believe, joint interrogation will help to reveal more facts," he said, adding IG Arun Bothra has already been camping at Rourkela to oversee the interrogation of the five persons. Director General of Odisha Police B K Singh said the personnel from NIA and IB may also interrogate them.
The four operatives who had escaped from a jail in Madhya Pradesh in 2013 were arrested from Rourkela yesterday following an exchange of fire with security personnel. Mother of one of the operatives was also arrested along with the four.
Those who were arrested have been identified as Mohammad Aijajudden, Amjad Khan, Zakir Hussein and Mahboob Guddu. Mohammad Aijajudden, Mohammad Aslam, Amjad Khan, Zakir Hussain Sadiq, Mehboob Guddu, along with Faisal, the leader of the gang, and another prisoner, had escaped from the district jail in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh after scaling a 14-foot wall.
While the seventh prisoner surrendered the next day and Faisal was caught in December 2013 from Barwani in Madhya Pradesh, the five others evaded police. Aslam was killed in an encounter with Telangana Police on April 5, 2015 but there was no clue of the remaining four.
While in hiding, the SIMI men were allegedly involved in terror activities in several states including Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Five guns and some ammunition were seized from their hideout.
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