Yasin Bhatkal in custody?

Bangalore - 09 Dec 2011: Has the Yasin Bhatkal been cornered by the Intelligence agencies? According to highly placed sources, the Intelligence Bureau has definite information on Yasin and may "arrest him soon."

The IB has been on the hunt for the fugitive IM terrorist, who is allegedly responsible for several of the recent terror attacks in the country. While official Intelligence reports continue to say that Yasin fled to Pakistan after he fell out with his father in Dubai in 2005, recent investigations have revealed that he is in India and has been operating from inside Karnataka under the alias, Imran. It is believed that, Yasin is from the coastal town of Bhatkal and is a close associate of IM co-founders Riyaz and Iqbal Shahbandari, popularly know as Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal.

He was allegedly planted the explosives at the German Bakery in Pune in February last year causing a blast that claimed 17 lives. Again, in the early hours of April 18, 2010, he allegedly traveled from Chitradurga to Bengaluru in a bus along with three IM 'recruits' from Darbhanga, Bihar, to plant explosives at the Chinnaswamy stadium during the Indian Premier League matches (IPL), ostensibly to protest against the exclusion of players from Pakistan in IPL. "They planted the explosives at 4 am that day and he returned by the next bus," the source added.

The 'Bihar module,' reportedly behind the Chinnaswamy stadium blast comprised Imran, Qateel Siddiqui, Gayur Jamali and Farooq from Darbhanga. Police interrogation of Siddiqui and Gayur, recently arrested by the special cell of Delhi police along with four other IM suspects from various places in the country reportedly revealed that Imran had plotted the Chinnaswamy stadium blast in Chitradurga, where he stayed for two months under the guise of a homeopathic doctor. He met Gayur - a post graduate student in Arabic and others in Darbhanga.

"Gayur was unwell when Imran met him. He indoctrinated him, Qateel, an electrical contractor and Farooq, also a student of Arabic in the IM ideology and tutored them to plant the explosives at the stadium, more to intimidate the police and not kill people," the source added. Gayur and Qateel confirmed Imran's identity when the police showed them his photograph. The police are on the lookout for Farooq.