Hyderabad cops bust terror module, arrest 3 terrorists planning grenade blasts

Days ahead of the Vijayadasami celebrations, the Hyderabad police have busted a terror module and nabbed three ISI - Lashkar-e-Taiba handled radicals who planned to hurl grenades on public gatherings in the city.

The cops on Sunday arrested Abdul Zahed alias Motu (39), Md Samiuddin alias Abdul Sami (39) and Maaz Hasan Farooq alias Maaz (29) from the old city.

“Abdul Zahed, a resident of Malakpet was involved in several terror related cases in Hyderabad in the past. He revived his contacts with his Pakistani ISI conduits again, conspired to cause terror acts including blasts and lone wolf attacks in the city to create terror,” police officials said.

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Upon receiving specific information that Abdul along with his associates has received a consignment of four hand grenades to carry out sensational terror attacks in Hyderabad, the cops acted swiftly and apprehended the three persons from Malakpet.

According to a statement from the Hyderabad police, Zahed was previously involved in several terror related cases in Hyderabad including a suicide attack on the City Police Commissioner’s task force office at Begumpet in 2005.

Zahed was in regular touch with Pakistani ISI-LeT handlers, Farhatullah Ghori alias FG, Siddique Bin Osman alias Abu Hamzala, Abdul Majeed alias Chotu. These three men are Hyderabad natives but absconded to and settled in Pakistan as they are wanted in several terror cases here. They are now working under the aegis of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

“In the past, these men had recruited local youth, radicalised them and executed terror attacks like the blast at the Saibaba Temple in Dilsukhnagar in 2002, bus blast in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, suicide attack on Task Force office, Begumpet in 2005. They also attempted to cause blasts near Ganesh Temple, Secunderabad in 2004,” the police said.

Zahed in his confession now has revealed that Farhatulla Ghori, Abu Hamzala and Majeed revived their contacts with him, motivated and financed him for the recruitment of youth and execution of terror attacks in Hyderabad again. So, at the behest of Pakistan based handlers Zahed recruited Samiuddin and Maaz Hasan.

The cops seized four hand grenades from their possession which Zahed had received from his Pak based handlers. “The group planned to hurl the hand grenades targeting public gatherings, thereby causing terror and communal tension in the city,” the police said.

The cops also recovered five mobile phones, a motorcycle and over Rs 5 lakh in cash from the offenders.