'Secret operation led to IM chief Bhatkal's arrest'
Patna, Aug 29 (IANS): The operation to arrest Indian Mujahideen chief Yasin Bhatkal was so secret that even after his arrest only few top Bihar Police officers were informed and they too were not told about where he was being held for questioning, an officer said.
Bihar Police played a major role in the arrest of Yasin Bhatkal, who is wanted in bomb blasts across the country, Bihar Police chief Abhayanand said here Thursday.
"It was Bihar Police that mainly helped NIA (National Investigation Agency) and other government agencies to arrest Bhatkal," Abhyanand told mediapersons here.
Bhatkal was arrested from the India-Nepal border Wednesday night and is in the custody of the Bihar Police.
"A team of Bihar Police officials have interrogated Bhatkal at a secret place after he was arrested," he said.
East Champaran district Superintendent of Police Vinay Kumar said that Bhatkal would be brought to Motihari from Raxaul under tight security before being taken to Delhi.
According to a senior officer at the Police Headquarters here, the entire operation to arrest Bhatkal was kept a close secret till the last moment.
"A few selected police officers were aware of the special operation to arrest Bhatkal," the officer said.
An additional director general of police rank officer told IANS on condition of anonymity that even after Bhatkal was arrested, only few top officers were informed and they were also not told about where he was kept for interrogation.
"It was a very sensitive case, so information was not shared with others except those involved in this operation," he said.
The state government has sounded an alert across Bihar, particularly in the border districts following Bhatkal's arrest.
"We have alerted district police officials and asked them to keep a close watch...," an official of the state home department said.
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Earlier:
Indian Mujahideen chief Yasin Bhatkal arrested : Reports
New Delhi, Aug 29 (NDTV) : One of India's most-wanted men, Yasin Bhatkal, head of the terror group Indian Mujahideen, has reportedly been arrested near the border with Nepal.
He was reportedly arrested in a joint operation of the Delhi and Karnataka police.
The National Investigating Agency or NIA believes that in 2010, Bhatkal planted the bomb that exploded at the German Bakery in Pune, killing 17 people.
The Indian Mujahideen is sponsored and patronized by Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to intelligence agencies.
The group is responsible, intelligence agencies have said, for a long list of terror attacks in recent years in cities including Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Bhatkal, who is 30, belongs to Karnataka. He co-founded the Mujahideen in 2008 with brother Riaz and Abdul Subhan Qureshi.
He is the main accused in the blast outside a stadium in Bangalore in 2010 during a cricket match.