JNU row: Over 800 calls from Umar Khalid cell, some to J&K

Call records of two mobile numbers belonging to JNU Ph.D. scholar Umar Khalid, believed by the Delhi police to be the main organiser of the controversial February 9 event at the varsity campus where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised, have revealed that over 800 calls were made from his numbers to several places, including Jammu and Kashmir, Bangladesh and Gulf countries between February 3 and 9.

While 38 calls are said to have been made to Jammu and Kashmir, a total of 65 calls were received on Mr Khalid’s numbers from the northern state. The call details came to light after the police intensified its search to track the former leader of the Democratic Students’ Union (DSU).

A highly-placed source said that most of the calls made to Jammu and Kashmir from Mr Khalid’s numbers were to three particular numbers, while 4 to 5 calls were made to another number. While one number has been traced to an individual at the Central University of Kashmir located in Ganderbal, three other numbers belong to different persons.

A scan of the call records showed that many calls were made to numbers outside Delhi, spanning across different cities. Some calls were also made and received from Gulf countries and Bangladesh.

The source said that the call details of Mr Khalid’s numbers for the past two months showed that the frequency of phone calls to these numbers had increased since the last week of December, which is when the police suspects that the preparations for the February 9 event could have actually begun.

Mr Khalid allegedly went absconding after JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition. His mobile phone has also been switched off since the student leader’s arrest.

The names of both Mr Kumar and Mr Khalid figure in the FIR registered in the case. The search for Mr Khalid, a student of JNU’s School of Social Sciences, has been extended to other states as well.

A native of Maharashtra, call details of Mr Khalid show his two numbers were on roaming 17 times in the past one month, with locations spanning across various cities. Preliminary investigations show that during this period, Mr Khalid had been meeting people at other universities to mobilise support for his event.

Investigations also reveal that there was no record of Mr Khalid’s numbers being on roaming in Jammu and Kashmir, indicating that he did not visit the state during the past two months.

The search for Mr Khalid has intensified with 13 police teams having conducted raids at 80 locations in 10 states. The raids have reportedly been carried out at 17 locations in Delhi, six in West Bengal, eight in J&K, 12 in Bihar, 12 in UP, 10 in Kerala, five in Karnataka, seven in Maharashtra, three in Chhattisgarh and three in Orissa.

While eight teams were formed initially, five more teams have now been tasked with the search operations in the past two days. As more raids continue in connection with Mr Khalid’s search, police forces from other states have also been roped in to assist the operation.

A total of 24 people, including Mr Khalid’s family members, friends and relatives, have already been questioned by the police. Mr Khalid’s name has also been added to the list of absconders. Airports have also been alerted and his photographs have been shared with forces that are keeping an eye on bus stands and railway stations as well.

Investigators have also recovered Mr Khalid’s laptop and are scanning the emails and other content for more leads. The police is also said to be ascertaining whether Mr Khalid had received funds from anti-national elements through Kashmiri separatists.