M A I N   N E W S

Fugitive IM terror suspect nabbed
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Mumbai, October 28
Afzal Usmani, the alleged operative of the Indian Mujahideen who escaped from a Mumbai court last month, was arrested from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Rakesh Maria, chief of the Anti-Terror Squad of the Mumbai Police, told reporters here that Usmani was arrested before he could escape to Nepal. Usmani was picked up outside Rupadia railway station at 3.30 am on Sunday. He was to board a train later in the day, Maria said.

The Mumbai police which was severely embarrassed after Usmani escaped from the court building in South Mumbai kept an eye out for his 17-year old nephew Javed Noorullah Hussain Khan who also disappeared from his house at around the same time. Police sources say Javed was picked up from Goa on October 25.

Javed's interrogation revealed that Usmani was put up with his relatives at Tatera village in Bahraich district of UP. Usmani, however, managed to evade the ATS team which landed there to arrest him. Police personnel who were on the lookout for Usmani finally nabbed him from the train station.

The police say, Usmani had shaved off his beard in a bid to alter his appearance. According to Maria, after fleeing the court on the pretext of going to the toilet Usmani borrowed money from an old associate in the city and fled to Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur accompanied by Javed, son of his sister Safia Khatoon.

The officer added that Usmani was using Javed to fetch documents that would help him mask his identity in order to facilitate his escape.

Operation Usmani

• Afzal Usmani was arrested outside Rupadia railway station in Uttar Pradesh at 3.30 am on Sunday. He was to board a train later in the day, Maria said
• The Mumbai police which was severely embarrassed after Usmani escaped from the court building in South Mumbai kept an eye out for his 17-year old nephew Javed Noorullah Hussain Khan who also disappeared from his house at around the same time. Police sources say Javed was picked up from Goa on October 25
• Javed's interrogation revealed that Usmani was put up with his relatives at Tatera village in Bahraich district of UP. Usmani, however, managed to evade the ATS team which landed there to arrest him. Police personnel who were on the lookout for Usmani finally nabbed him from the train station