Odisha cops seize pen drives, cell phones from SIMI operatives’ house

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhadrak, Feb 19:

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch of the Odisha police probing terrorist links of the five Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) operatives arrested from Rourkela have seized mobile phones, USB dongle, pen drive, copies of SIMI magazines from the house where these operatives had stayed at Nanga Mahala in Bhadrak before relocating to Steel City.

“We have seized two mobile phones, copies of SIMI magazines, pen drive, USB dongle and wires from the house at Nanga Mahala during the search operation. The seized items will be sent to lab for forensic test,” Special DG Crime Branch B K Sharma said.

He however, said no explosives were found during the search at the house.

Special Task Force (STF) team of the Odisha police along with two arrested SIMI operatives Zakir Hussain and Mohd.  Salik today arrived at Nanga Mahala in Bhadrak. The team was accompanied by Crime Branch Special DG BK Sharma and IG Arun Bothra.

Earlier in the day, a three member team of the Special Task Force (STF) of the Madhya Pradesh police arrived in Bhadrak to investigate in the case pertaining to arrest of five Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) operatives from Rourkela.

Meanwhile, Bhadrak police has detained the house owner Munna Khan and is questioning him. Khan is a businessman who stays in West Bengal. On being informed about the incident he has arrived in Bhadrak yesterday, revealed sources.

The five SIMI operatives who had escaped from the Khandwa district jail in Madhya Pradesh jail on October 1, 2013 by scaling a 14 ft high wall and were on the run have confessed during interrogation that they had also stayed in a house in Nanga Mahala locality of Bhadrak on rent for eight months before moving to Rourkela where they were arrested. However, the house has been under lock and key for about a month, local sources said.

Notably, the five SIMI activists Mehboob Khan, Mohd Salik, Amjad Khan, Zakir Hussain and Mehboob’s mother Najma Biwi were arrested from the Quereshi Mohalla of Nala Road locality of Rourkela in the wee hours Wednesday after an exchange of fire with a joint team of Telangana and state police.