Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) officials believe the huge quantity of arms and explosives that were seized in Aurangabad and Nasik, were smuggled into the country in from Afghanistan via Pakistan. This was revealed to ATS officials by the arrested terrorists alleged to be belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) during interrogation. The police are now investigating the exact source of the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifles and RDX seized from the accused.The 100-odd hand grenades recovered from Nasik on Saturday were manufactured in China and stuffed with RDX-variety explosives, said ATS officers, speaking on condition of anonymity The explosive stuffing of the grenades was of superior quality with a fairly large “effective casualty radius” the officers said. According to the police, some of the AK-47 rifles are new, and some appear to be used. The make of the rifles are of Chinese origin and are similar to those used by militants in Afghanistan.
ATS officials also claim that the arms were meant for creating disturbances in Maharashtra and Gujarat and the police were on the look out for Zamiruddin Ansari, the mastermind who is believed to be an active member of LeT. State Director General of Polife P.S. Pasricha said the terror racket was busted because of the top quality work by the ATS and the police and added that it was a big jolt to the terrorist group. The terrorists were using “smart methods” as they had hidden grenades in mango boxes while RDX and rifles were concealed in computer CPUs. Some of the terrorists are computer proficient and know how to use e-mails. Pasricha, however, stopped short of naming the terror outfit and said it was the handiwork of “foreign elements.” The seizure of hand grenades is enough evidence that the terrorists wanted to generate terror and disturbances in communally sensitive areas, Pasricha said.
Even though the arrested terrorists are suspected to be associated with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) all indications point to the fact that the terrorists were guided by the leadership of LeT and PakistanÂ’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officers, said an ATS official.