A suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, who is reportedly close to IM top operative Yasin Bhatkal alias Shahrukh, has been arrested from Darbhanga in Bihar. Mohammad Qafeel Ahmed (50) was tasked by the IM bosses to recruit young boys in the net. He was arrested by a team of Delhi Police’s Special Team on Tuesday. With his arrest, the total number of arrests in the present IM module has reached 10 and it can increase even further with the Special Team upping the ante against IM operatives in its quest for elusive Shahrukh. There are 15 hardcore IM men who are still at large.

DCP Crime, Ashok Chand said, Mohammad Qafeel Ahmed was arrested from Darbhanga on Tuesday after a tip-off. Ahmed was allegedly acting as a motivator and recruiter of youths of the terror outfit that has been involved in a series of blasts across the country since 2008-09. Qafeel acted as a conduit and used to convey messages to other operatives of the module. He used to indoctrinate local youth and recruit them to the terror outfit. He also provided safe hide-outs for the bombers and couriers of the outfit, Chand said.

It has been revealed that Qafeel is also very close to Yasin Bhatkal alias Shahrukh, the fugitive wanted by the police across the country. Out of the six IM men arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in December, three of them, including Mohammad Qateel Siddique, Gauhar Aziz Khomani and Gayur Ahmad Jamali, were recruited by Qafeel. Their arrest had led to the solving of several cases of bomb blasts in Karnataka, Gujarat, Mumbai and Delhi. Qafeel owns a cycle repair shop in Darbhanga and used to impart preaching to children in a local mosque. “This module was based in Darbhanga and Madhubani of Bihar,” the DCP added.

Special team-led by Additional DCP Sanjeev Yadav is looking for the remaining 18 IM operatives who are believed to have gone into hiding after the arrest of top IM men. Police say that the number of IM cadres has gone up significantly after the Batla House encounter on September 19, 2008. The encounter had seen Special Cell gunning down Atif Amin, a very key member of IM. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma had attained martyrdom while trying to arrest the IM men. Most of IM’s members are the ex-members of banned Students Islamic Movement in India (SIMI). IM has been getting cover financial help from the rogue Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and its founder Amir Reza Khan is believed to have been housed in Karachi of Pakistan. He lives under ISI protection alongwith Bhatkal brothers Riyaz and Iqbal.

The Special Team has achieved a major success in the first week of this month when it managed to track down Mohammad Tarique Anjuman, one of the founding members of IM who also doubled up as outfit’s ideologue too. Anjuman was apprehended from the suburbs of Patna. Investigators are hoping to get vital information about the top IM operative Shahrukh after Qafeel’s arrest. Shahrukh has been evading arrest since the past three months after an IM module was busted in December.