Qureshi hand in A’bad blasts

Mumbai: Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) leader Abdul Subhan Qureshi (46), a Mumbai resident who was wanted for over a decade before getting arrested by the Delhi police, had allegedly played an active role in helping the Indian Mujahideen’s  (IM) absconding founder Riyaz Bhatkal orchestrate the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, according to key arrested accused in the case. Fifty-seven lives were lost in the blasts.

Qureshi, alias ‘Touqeer’, had begun exhorting a few trusted SIMI operatives, at least a month before the blasts were carried, to participate in the terror attack to purportedly avenge the loss of Muslim lives in the Gujarat riots of 2002, said a police officer. 

Qureshi had provided the services of a few SIMI operatives to Bhatkal to carry out the blasts at a time he had wanted to retaliate against the arrest of 13 top SIMI leaders including its then-chief Safdar Nagori in March 2008 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. SIMI operative Abul Bashar, who was named in the Ahmedabad blasts case chargesheet, had allegedly revealed in his interrogations that on June 2, 2008, an acquaintance had told him that ‘Subhan bhai’ had asked him to go to Ahmedabad, after which he reached there two days later and met Qureshi, said the officer. Bashar allegedly asked Qureshi about how Nagori and others got arrested and how can they get released. “Qureshi aka Subhan Bhai told him that they have to get Nagori released at all cost and they have to take revenge for the Gujarat riots,” said the officer. “Qureshi told Bashar that he was in touch with the Indian Mujahideen and very soon the work would be done,” he said.        

Later, Qureshi allegedly told Bashar he had met leaders of the Indian Mujahideen, which will conduct serial blasts in Ahmadabad as a revenge for the Gujarat riots, said the officer. According to Bashar, Qureshi had offered the services of ‘Ashfaq’ to the IM. 

Another case accused, Qayamuddin Kapadia, also allegedly revealed in his interrogations that Qureshi had introduced him to Bhatkal after which he helped execute the blasts. 

“Qureshi will be questioned about his role in the blasts on the basis of whatever evidence there is against him,” the officer said.