Chapter 3 - The Ahmedabad Bomb

Fiza got a hint from one of her contacts that Hasan Sheikh, head of Harkat-ul-Safa, a terrorist organisation operating from Pakistan occupied Kashmir are planning a series of bomb blasts at religious places. The information was shared with RAW and other state and national agencies. It was 27 Sep 2015 and probably the date of likely attack was 02 Oct, the date was chosen to mark it with Mahatma Gandhi's birth and make it huge. After all, the aim of these attacks is only to keep the issue in media and continuation of the evil intentions by these terrorist organisations and the people or states funding these organisations. RAW got the first break through when they were able to catch hold of one of the link man of Harkat-ul-Safa who was assisting them in transfer of funds for this mission.

Few of the further connected links lead the IB to a scrap dealer Hafiz, who used to deal in car scraps and his shop was at Narul road behind Ayub Masjid in Kabadi market, Ahmedabad. He was kept under surveillance for one day before he was discretely picked up for investigation. He informed the IB that he has been forced to supply crude iron material which he used to deal in apart from the chemicals required to make the bombs. He initially refused to help them but then they started harassing his daughter studying in Delhi, which made him scumb to their demands. He although informed all about the people whom he was in contact with, but nothing concrete came out of him, since he was always made to keep the stuff at unknown and new places.

However, from him they got a lot of telephone numbers from which he was being contacted. His work as per him was over and the material they asked for has been delivered and he has not got any further call or message from last one week. However, out of those numbers , one of them was still active and was being used by Harish, an old car dealer. On investigation it was found that he has provided them with a black colour stolen van. He however was not aware about the plan. They called him up on phone (the numbers not working now) and took the van on 21 Sep. He was paid 5 lakhs, an amount good enough to keep his mouth shut. He was made to believe that they were thief's and the van will be used for abduction. He was contacted by an unknown man, of about 30 years, fair, small heighted with long beard and most importantly with one hand missing. Infact, this man borrowed his phone to call Hafiz, a mistake which gave this link. The sketch was made and circulated all across Ahmedabad along with the details of the van. But till now the details of the terrorists and their hideout was unknown. The day of 02 Oct was however confirmed by Hafiz too as he overheard this man talking to someone telling him,"Janab, kaam ko 02 Oct ko hi anjaam diya Jayega, app fiker na karein" (The work will be done one 02 Oct, you don't worry). 

     The search was in full swing. All the local hookers, bookers, suspected individuals, history sheeters were on task. All types of cars and vans were being checked. Household search for any new people in vicinity was also on. But as luck would have been and the entire team of agents, police etc were getting frustrated on not being able to track these terrorist, on 01 Oct at around 4 O' clock in the evening, Inspector Jamshed Khan, SHO Vivekanand Nagar Police Station, 

got a call from a local public telephone booth. The boy on the phone informed that there are four suspicious looking people residing in Sidhi farm house from last few days...but before he could ask any details, the phone was hung up. The Police immediately came in action however, with great caution, so as to ensure that the perpetrators does not get a hint.

Rashid with his team in disguise went first to gather information about the activities at the farm house from last few days. It came out that nobody had seen them coming out of the farm house. However, few people from outside came a week before in two vehicles. But the most important information they got was that these four came into this farm house only a couple of days back and they came in an ambulance and the two vehicles left the place the same day and most likely all the people residing earlier had left. The farm house was booked online through a site and was taken on rent for 15 days till 02 Oct 2020. The owner was permanently settled in US and the house was being looked after by a local guard whose job was only to get the house cleaned before the guest arrive and keep the kitchen filled with food items as per the guidelines given to him by the owner. This time it was filled for 15 days of ration and other things. The payment was made in cash for everything. The guard informed that he gave the keys to one short heighted individual with one arm missing and he was told to go and should come back only on 02 October when they will vacate the house. 

    One of the boys who happened to be living in a three storied house overlooking the farm house, informed Rashid that he had seen a women last evening in the compound doing something on the ambulance. Rashid immediately rushed to the top of this boys house to look inside the farm house. To his surprise Ambulance was not there. On further questioning from the boy, he informed that he went upto the terrace for the first time yesterday, to check the water tank, which her mother had told her to do. Surveillance was placed on top of the house to check for details about their movement, if any in the farm house.

     Inspector Jamshed was getting anxious and without informing anybody sent one of his source inside the farm house on the pretext of selling milk. Rashid on the other hand got excited to see somebody entering the farm house and immediately rushed to the near by shop to over see his actions. The man went inside but did not come out for about 15 minutes. The agents who had cordoned the farm house were getting curious and the moment that man came out and reached at a reasonable distance, he was apprehended and took inside one of the houses. Jamshed came running to too. Before he could be questioned, Jamshed informed Rashid about his source.

Jamshed's source informed that there was nobody inside and that is why he took so much of time. It was 8 o' clock and Rashid without wasting any further time stormed into the farm house. On search they found a paint machine, vehicle parts, driller, etc giving an indication that the van has been fitted with IED. Rashid in further search found some ladies clothes confirming the presence of a lady in this group. However, since there was nobody, they got worried that the terrorists were out in open and could strike anytime. Meanwhile, PCR was put on high alert about the three men and a lady, probably travelling in an ambulance van. All possible ambulances and vans were being checked. 

    Rashid and his team meanwhile were searching for any possible clue about the location of planned bombing. They found a half burnt map but nothing concrete came out, other than a spot indicating a mosque, which may be a possible meeting place, hideout or even a bombing site. One of the team was sent to inquire there. Rashid was looking for some indication and he happen to found a piece of bill of clothes they would have purchased on form Gafur Cloth House in Fashion Street, the day these four came to this farm house. The bill again indicated about a female along with three men, since it had shirts of three different sizes and a ladies suit. This could help in identifying the individuals as in all probability they would be wearing these clothes for tomorrow action. The local police station was informed to get the details from the shopkeeper. 

     Mohinder, a member of Rashid's team while checking the windows on first floor however, saw some light at the backyard. There was a small wooden structure, may be an old storage dump. He informed Rashid and they immediately cordoned the room. Rashid was about to open the room when the man from inside came out rushing to run but was overpowered. Eureka, he was infact the man without a hand, they were looking for. They took him inside the house for interrogation. The time was critical as it was 2200 hours and they were clueless about the intended locations of blasts or the methodology of blasts by these four suspected individuals or may be there are more people involved. Meanwhile, the police was trying to find the details from the cloth house owner. But nothing concrete came out till now apart from the one handed man. One of the police team looked for CCTV footage of the shop. 

    Fridaus was the nick name of this one handed man. Initially, the interrogation team felt that Firdaus would be difficult nut to crack but only a little third degree treatment was good enough for him to open his mouth. He belonged to a village named Mahim, near the Gujrat border and was a smuggler. He was lured by this girl named Mahim, who is one of the members of this group. He has been promised 20 lacs rupees . His task was to arrange for the material and the van. He even helped them recce a number of locations in Ahmedabad but the problem is he is not sure where is the final plan of blasts is. He told the police that there are five locations which they recede deliberately which include a local college, three Mandir's and a mosque.

They tried to find out more details, meanwhile police was informed to cordon off all these locations. Rashid who was searching for a clue found a STD bill where the call was made to a number in Pakistan. This STD PCO was near the mosque which Firdaus has mentioned. He asked Firdaus whether these people did not have a mobile phone and the answer surprised him. They were not using mobile phones and this was the only time they called someone during the last four days which they have been here. The sketches of suspects were also ready now. Firdaus however as expected was not privy to final plan and his job was only to clear the farm house which he was doing and would have gone to his village yesterday night only. The time was 0400 hours, 02 Oct 2013 and the teams were placed at all the suspected places and barricades were put to close all entry and exit points to the city.

     Rashid went to the mosque and his instinct were making him feel that they were already there near the mosque. He sent his team in all directions near the mosque and trying to look for any kind of indication of an ambulance or person with similar look. The people had already started coming to the mosque for the morning azaan (prayers). It was becoming difficult to identify the individuals as being a holiday, people were congregating in huge numbers. Rashid, looked for any sign of location where the van could be as he suspected that they would not have left the place yesterday night, in case they had planned to target the mosque. They could have come in the morning itself. The sniper at one of the building spotted four people including a women on top of a factory which was a little inside the market but probably had a view of the mosque. It was an unusual site as they were offering namaz. Rashid immediately understood the plot and along with his team went to the location. They entered the factory which was an iron Smith shop actually and was closed for many years now and that is why they chose this location. As they entered the shop they saw the van and called for the bomb squad. Meanwhile, the terrorists were still offering namaz and unknown to them they were surrounded. As soon as they finished the namaz, they were apprehended, as their weapons were already seized as they had kept them on the stairs to keep them away as they were offering their final prayers. One of them however, tried to run by jumping from the first story but only to be apprehended by a police team.

    The threat seem to be over but Rashid was still wondering that how can it be so simple and what about the series of bomb blasts that they were supposed to carry out. The recovered items however indicated the plot. Apart from the van being converted to bomb, there was a IED jacket for self explosion and two bags filled with bombs. Probably, all four were going to different locations near by. From the top of that house, they were only focusing on mosque but there was a mandir too. 

    After a gruesome interrogation by experts, they could get one of the man talk, but that too only once one of the agents across the border could get the details of these four terrorists or shall we say family members. Yes, they actually belonged to one family. Hamida and Jahangir were the parents of a boy named Naved who got killed in the Islamabad School massacre last year. Jamshed lost his sister who was teaching in the same school and Abdul Rahman was the brother of Jahangir. It came out from the inquiry that the clerics were made to brain wash these peoole and inspite of clear indication of foreign involvement from their western border they were made to believe that the Indian government was involved in that plot. Simple home maker Hamida who was an illiterate and never been to school broke the first and narrated the entire incident.

She loved her boy so much that she got involved and volunteered to join for these blasts. Jahangir however was the first one targeted by the Harkat-ul-Safa, when one of the over ground workers of the terrorist organisation saw and heard a dejected and helpless father, who had bigger plans for his intelligent and focused son. Jahangir informed during the interrogation that his son wanted to become a scientist and had plans to make innovations for his country to bring prosperity and industrial revolution. But everything got shattered during that ill-fated incident. Jamshed and Abdul were made part of this plan only two months back, when they overheard Jahangir talking to a cleric in mosque. They also wanted revenge and Abdul who already grew with Anti- India thoughts due to his friends, a few of them being in Army and always been nararted the stories of PoK and J and K. He thought that it is a good chance to take revenge and saw a purpose for his life. As it is he was frustrated with his life being a bachelor and a working as a daily wager was not what he wanted in his life. Jamshed again wanted to avenge his sister's killing. 

    Thus, the four vulnerable and deeply saddened and dissatisfied people got involved in this bomb blast attempt. They were not trained terrorists but there personal vulnerabilities got them involved and the terrorists organizations take advantage of these situations. They all are presently undergoing life imprisonment and cursing the day they chose to take this step. They have been found guilty of waging war against India, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, and various other charges under IPC. Thanks to Fiza and Rashid that this could be stopped, else there may have been a breeding ground to make some terrorists on this side of the border too.