‘Extremists used acquaintances’ SIMs’

Mumbai: The Maharashtra ATS’s chargesheet against eight alleged naxal operatives includes some witness statements that state that the accused were allegedly using SIM cards procured from acquaintances to further their activities including hiring rented accommodations in Mumbai and rest of the state for use by their banned organisation.

According to the chargesheet, the accused used to stay in rented accommodations in various parts of the city and the state, from where they gave logistical support to ill or injured members.  

According to the chargesheet accused Krushna Lingya had allegedly undergone arms training and all the arrested accused held many meetings and collected fund to promote their ideology.

A female witness in her statement said that accused Ajay Dasri was good friend of her husband and Dasri used to give them Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 a month for house rent and other expenses.

In 2015, there was a quarrel between the witness and her husband; and in anger the latter threw and broke her mobile phone so she kept the SIM card in a cupboard. However, later she came to know that Dasri was using that SIM card, according to the statement.

Another witness, in his statement, said that he has a drinking habit and had lost his phone, so once when he was going to drink as a precaution he had given two SIM cards and his Aadhaar card to one of his friends for safe custody.

In January this year when he met his friend and asked for the SIM cards and Aadhaar card, the friend told him that they were with Dasri. Dasri allegedly returned one SIM card to him but the other one and the Aadhaar card were not returned.