Gujarat ATS nabs terror accused

Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has nabbed a man allegedly involved in hatching a conspiracy to spread terror and to kill several BJP leaders to avenge the attacks on Muslims post-Godhra riots in 2002.

Based on a specific tip off, a team of Gujarat ATS officials detained Abrar Pathan (48) from Palghar on Saturday and took him to Gujarat on Sunday. Pathan, accused of supplying arms to spread terror, was on the run for last 13 years after his brother, Aslam, who is also one of the accused in the particular case, was nabbed by city crime branch in 2003, according to a release issued by the ATS.

Pathan and his brother Aslam were part of a larger conspiracy to spread terror in Gujarat to avenge the killings of Muslims during post-Godhra riots in 2002, the release said. Pathan is a native of Pindara village near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, but was living in Ahmedabad during the riots.

It is alleged that after the 2002 riots, Pathan and Aslam travelled to UP and acquired arms and ammunitions from local suppliers. They later supplied these arms to one Afzalkhan Pathan, a resident of Bapunagar area of city who has been arrested by the crime branch, according to the release.

After the arrest of his brother in 2003, Pathan sold his truck and went to his native village and started working as a farmer. He later moved to Palghar in Maharashtra and started working as a truck driver with one UP Golden Transport service, it said. After tracing his whereabouts, a team of ATS reached Palghar few days ago and nabbed him yesterday. City crime branch in April, 2003, had lodged a case under Prevention of Terrorist Activities (POTA) Act against 98 persons and has subsequently arrested 59 persons till date.

Pathan is the 60th accused held in the case while 38 are still at large, the release said. He will be handed over to the crime branch for further probe.