Cuttack: Panic gripped the Millennium city following the arrest of a suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist from Jagatpur area in a late night raid on Tuesday.
The suspected terrorist, identified as Abdur Rehman (37), was nabbed by a joint team of the special cell of Delhi Police and Commissionerate police from his house at Paschima Kachha village under Jagatpur police station limits in late on Tuesday night.
Briefing media persons about the arrest this afternoon, Commissioner of Police (CP) Dr Rajendra Prasad Sharma said Delhi Police, in the course of its investigation, had come to know about Rehman’s links with the Al-Qaeda terrorist after tracking his telephone call records. After being confirmed about his link with the terrorist outfit, the Delhi Police informed the twin city commisionerate police and sought its help on Tuesday evening.
Later, a special team of Delhi Police arrived in Bhubaneswar from where the team, accompanied by the police commissioner RP Sharma and a team of Bhubaneswar Commissionerate police led by DCP Satyabrata Bhoi, went to Cuttack.
After discussing with the Cuttack DCP Sanjeev Arora, a 30-member team of commissionerate police, Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau comprising three officials each of the Delhi Police, IB and Commissionerate police, other senior officials of the commissionerate police and Jagatpur police raided the Paschima Kachha village under Jagatpur police station limits late in the night and arrested Rehman from his house.
The commissioner said Rehman would be produced in a local court in Salepur later in the day after which he would be taken on remand by the Delhi Police.
A mobile phone, a tablet used by Rehman and his passport have been seized during the raid.
As per the FIR lodged by Delhi police, Rehman was engaged in recruiting members for the organisation, but there was no indications as yet that he was involved in or planning any terrorist activities in the state, the CP said. The details of his involvement in terrorist activities, if any, would be revealed only after his interrogation by the Delhi Police, he added.
The accused studied at a madarsa in Tangi area and was a member of the Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) with links in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai, Sharma said. His elder brother Tariq was arrested in connection with an attack on the American Consulate in 2001, he added.
Soon after his arrest, Rehman was brought to an unknown place in Bhubaneswar where he is being interrogated.
The suspected terrorist, who is a native of West Bengal, had been staying with his family at Paschima Kachha village in Jagatpur area on the outskirts of the city for generations.
When reports last came in, the commissionerate police has started search operations in the house of Rehman in presence of his family members. Police have sealed the entire area.
The sources also said Rehman has three children. He Was involved in the religious activities in the village and has influence on the local youths.