CROWED OUTSIDE THE TIHAR JAIL IN NEW DELHI ON MONDAY. PHOTO BY RAJESH MEHTA.
New Delhi: Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Saturday interrogated Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehsin Akhtar for six hours in connection with two mobile handsets recovered from his barrack in Tihar Jail two days ago.
One of the handsets, which was recovered from sub-jail number 8, was the one on which the Telegram account in the name of ‘Jaishulhind’ was created. This account had claimed responsibility for the explosive-laden SUV found abandoned near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai and demanded extortion money through cryptocurrency.
TOI was the first to report that the mobile phone used in the Antillia case had been recovered from Akhtar’s barrack and that he was likely to be questioned on Saturday.
During questioning, Akhtar denied having sent out the threat though he confessed to having used the phone. Sources have told TOI that Delhi Police is likely to arrest Akhtar next week in connection with his activities from jail and question him in custody. He will be questioned again on Monday.
Police suspect that Akhtar and his other terror associates were behind the creation of the entity named Jaish-ul-hind. According to prison sources, jail number 8 houses terrorists of Indian Mujahideen like Akhtar and Yasin Bhatkal apart from some al-Qaeda and underworld-linked inmates who interchangeably used the mobile phones.
The mobile handset had a number 9311**0819, which was registered in the name of one Jayadip Lodhiya, Raghubar Pura, east Delhi and activated in July last year and later smuggled inside Tihar. Probing this number, the cops also stumbled upon another number — 9711**9888 — which was found switched off since September last year. This number was used to activate the main number.
The Telegram channel was created on the afternoon of February 26. The message claiming responsibility for placing the vehicle outside Ambani’s residence was posted on the Telegram messaging app late on February 27.
The message had also demanded a payment in cryptocurrency and mentioned a Monero link for the transfer. However, another message from Jaish-ul-Hind surfaced a day later on a social media platform, claiming that the organisation did not have any role in the incident. The same entity was in news recently when a Telegram channel by this name claimed responsibility for the low- intensity blast outside the Israel embassy in Delhi on January 29.
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