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February 11, 2002
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Aftab Ansari admits to masterminding Kolkata shootout

Aftab Ansari, prime suspect in the attack on the American Centre in Kolkata, has admitted to the CBI about his involvement in the incident and his links with terrorists and jihadis in Pakistan, especially with Omar Sheikh, one of the three terrorists released by India to end the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in Kandahar.

The CBI, while seeking his transit remand, told a Delhi court that Ansari alias Farhan Malik during interrogation also admitted of forming a countrywide network of arms, narcotics smugglers for carrying out illegal activities in India.

"He has admitted to having links with terrorists and jehadis in Pakistan specially with Omar Sheikh. He has also admitted that the attack on American Centre in Kolkata was carried out at his instance by his associates in order to take revenge for the killing of Asif Reza Khan in a police encounter," the CBI told the court.

Ansari also admitted to have had earned nearly Rs 550 million from kidnapping, smuggling of arms, ammunition and explosives from Pakistan to India for spreading terrorism.

The CBI's application said one of the accused arrested in an arms seizure case, Aquib Alib Khan, had stated during interrogation that he was instructed to transport the arms and explosives in a truck from the border.

"The deal was being carried out under the instructions and supervision of Aftab Ansari. The instructions were received on telephone as well as on e-mail in the name of Abdal who is none other than Aftab Ansari," the CBI said in the application.

The agency said on the basis of the information, CBI had seized a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including 14 kg of RDX, four kg of plastic explosives, two AK-56 rifles, two pistols, two rifles, a radio set, loaded magazines, remote control devices, cordex wire, detonators and timers from a truck in north Gujarat.

The CBI said Ansari had admitted having instructed Asif Reza Khan through e-mail to receive the consignment of arms, which was seized from a person in Gujarat, for strengthening his network in India.

Besides this case, the CBI claimed that Ansari was involved in the kidnapping of Anand Aggarwal, a coal merchant of Varanasi during 1998-99, diamond merchant Bhaskar Parekh of Rajkot, Parthapratim Roy Burman of Khadim shoes, Niranjan Shah of Mumbai and many other crimes during the recent past.

The CBI also claimed that Ansari had earned approximately Rs 500 million within a short span of time.

The other accused Raju Sharma, who was deported along with Ansari from Dubai and is said to be his accomplice in several cases, including the kidnapping of Parekh in Gujarat, was also sent to five days of transit remand of the Gujarat police.

Meanwhile, the Delhi police arrested three Pakistani nationals for their alleged links in the case. "They are suspected to have links with Ansari," police sources said.

The sources said their arrest was made on the basis of the 'disclosures' made by two other Pakistani nationals and a Bangladeshi arrested on Friday for their suspected hand in the attack on American Centre on January 22.

More reports on USIS attack case

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