Odisha Crime Branch STF to grill LeT handler Habibur Rahman

Bhubaneswar: A team of Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch will leave for Delhi today to interrogate suspected handler of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, Habibur Rahman.

The team led by Crime Branch DIG Himanshu Lal will visit Delhi and seek permission from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to quiz about Rahman’s links with LeT terrorist Shaikh Abdul Naeem who was arrested in 2007, informed CB ADG Santosh Upadhaya. According to reports, Habib was one of the handlers of Naeem alias Nomi.

"Rahman will be interrogated on Naeem and their operations in the State," he added. Earlier, on August 6, the NIA arrested Rahman, a resident of Kendrapara in Odisha on charges of being a terrorist handler of LeT.

Rahman who is currently based in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia was arrested from IGI Airport in New Delhi and was produced in Patiala House Court on Tuesday to be taken on remand for interrogation.

According to NIA, Rahman, who is affiliated to LeT, arranged shelter/hideouts and funds for Nomi on different occasions for carrying out terrorist activities in India on directions of the LeT commander Amjad alias Rehan based in Pakistan.