White collar terror module: Haryana preacher pleads with police to collect rent from doctors

New Delhi/Srinagar, Nov 23 (PTI) The atmosphere in the police interrogation room at Srinagar is tense but a Haryana preacher detained in connection with a 'white-collar’ terror module remains focused on unpaid rent from arrested doctors.

Maulvi Ishtiyaq, the religious preacher from Mewat in Haryana, was picked up by Jammu and Kashmir Police after the recovery of 2,500 kg of explosive material, including ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate, and sulphur, from his rented residence located outside Faridabad's Al Falah University, which has emerged as the epicentre of the terror module.

His name surfaced during the interrogation of Dr Muzammil Ganaie, a key member of the 'white-collar' terror module arrested from the University. At his instance, the police team recovered explosives from the residence of the preacher.

This white-collar module was busted on November 10 after an intense investigation by Srinagar police and led to the arrest of eight persons, including three doctors. But one, Dr Umar-un-Nabi, had managed to give a slip and was driving the explosive-laden car that blasted outside Red Fort, killing 15 people on November 10.

Maulvi Ishtiyaq told his interrogators a shockingly different story, claiming that Ganaie and Umar approached him earlier this year, asking him to store what they called "fertilisers" at his home and allegedly agreed upon a monthly storage fee of Rs 2,500, according to officials.

Maulvi Ishtiyaq was not concerned about the gravity of the situation and his concern was about the outstanding rent owed by Ganaie and Umar which was pending for the last six months, they said.

Living below the poverty line and struggling to support his four children and family, the religious preacher told the officials of the National Investigation Agency, Srinagar Police and others from central security agencies to recover the outstanding rent from Ganaie so that he could send the money back home.

The officials recalled that the disparity between the heinous crime of storing enough material for a massive terror attack and the detainee's immediate, desperate concern for the rent payment was enough to briefly break the tension in the interrogation room.

The incident provides a bizarre and tragicomic look into the lives entangled on the fringes of major terror plots, said a senior police official.

His story was supported by Ganaie during interrogation, the officials said, adding Maulvi Ishtiyaq has been handed over to the State Investigation Agency for further action.

The preacher was detained on November 12 after a series of raids conducted by Jammu and Kashmir police along with their Haryana counterparts.

Jammu and Kashmir police on November 10 along with their counterparts in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh carried out the operation to unravel a 'white-collar' terror network of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and arrested eight people.

Investigations led to the Al Falah University where 2,900 kg of explosives was recovered.

It all started on the intervening night of October 18-19, when posters of the banned JeM surfaced on walls just outside Srinagar city. The posters warned of attacks on police and security forces in the Valley.

Three people -- Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid -- were arrested after CCTV footage showed them pasting the posters.

During interrogation, they named former paramedic turned preacher Maulvi Irfanas the one who had supplied the posters. He was arrested.

This was the thread that led to the unravelling of the plot. Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Saeed were held from Faridabad. Later, Adeel Rather was picked up from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. PTI SKL RT RT