 A DAY after the Special Task Force (STF) arrested two Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami (HuJI) militants involved in last months serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh, STF Jawans gunned down two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in an encounter on Lucknow-Dewa Road near Barabanki on December 23. The militants were planning to target Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, ADG (Law and Order) Brij Lal said adding the STF had recovered a map of CM’s official residence from the possession of the militants. STF recovered a map, of five Kalidas Marg, official residence of Mayawati, two AK-47 rifles, a suicide belt, 10 hand grenades, detonators, six magazines and a number of cartridges from the possession of the two, said Brij Lal. Both of them were reportedly Pakistani nationals though police has yet to ascertain their identify. Brij Lal said the two militants had sneaked into India from Nepal and were intercepted at Dewa Road in a car bearing UP 32 A 4374 registration number which appeared to be a fake one. It may be mentioned intelligence agencies had sent an alert to the UP police last week that some militants were likely to infiltrate into Uttar Pradesh from across Nepal border and might target a VVIP of Uttar Pradesh, apparently the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati. The BSP firebrand leader is one among the top national politicians and VVIPs including young Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who are in the hit list of militant groups operating in the region. Chief minister’s security has since been tightened further with extra vigil being maintained on her movements. The STF and intelligence agencies had arrested two militants of banned HuJI from Barabanki railway station on December 22. They later confessed their involvement in November 23 serial blasts in Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad. The two were identified as Khalid Mohammed and Tariq. The STF had recovered 1.25 Kg of RDX, six detonators, nine ammonium nitrate rods, four cell phones and a SIM card from their possession. The arrests were made by a team led by Dy SP (STF)) MK Jha when the two militants were to meet their “Master” and receive fresh stock of explosives at the railway station. The two militants confessed they were the mastermind of May 28 Gorakhpur blast and had supplied explosives for triggering explosion at Sankat Mochan Temple in Varanasi last year, Brij Lal said. Among the arrested militant is Mohd Tariq, the UP Chief of the banned militant organization and Khalid Mujahid who hails from Azamgarh and Jaunpur districts respectively. The arrests followed immediately after intelligence agencies nabbed one Sajjad in Kashmir valley this morning and based on his interrogation, the two HuJI militants who masterminded the serial blasts in the three cities of Uttar Pradesh last month were nabbed by the ATS in Barabanki, 25 km from Lucknow. Brij Lal said STF sleuths have been dispatched to Jammu and Kashmir to interrogate Sajjad who was arrested this morning. The arrested militants have since been sent into judicial remand for 10 days. We will soon take them in Police remand for intensive interrogation, Brij Lal said. During brief interrogation the two militants told ATS that the serial blasts were carried out by them in three groups separately with each one forming a team of three. While Tariq and Khalid were part of the two teams who carried out blasts in Lucknow and Faizabad, Mukhtar (the Bangladeshi), who is absconding was one who did it in Varanasi.
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