Mumbai: Three years after he escaped from police custody, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, Shaikh Abdul Nayeem alias Nomi (37), from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Nayeem, a native of Aurangabad, who escaped from West Bengal police custody in 2014, is an accused -in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.
A release issued by the NIA stated that Nayeem was tracked down in Lucknow in connection with LeT activities in various parts of India. He was apprehended from Charbagh bus stand in Lucknow. Some incriminating documents, a mobile phone and bank account details were seized from him at the time of arrest. The NIA release stated, “Nayeem has been associated with LeT commander Amzad alias Rehan who is stated to be based in Pakistan, and received funds from LeT operatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for setting up bases in different parts of India.”
A senior Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) officer said, “We have been informed about the development and we are closely coordinating with the NIA on the same. Nayeem will be brought to Mumbai in due course for being produced in the MCOCA court.”
Nayeem was arrested while infiltrating into India through the Bangladesh border in 2007 and was being brought to Mumbai on the Howrah-Mumbai Express to be produced in the MCOCA court in the arms haul case. During his attempted infiltration in 2007, two Pakistani nationals and a Kashmiri accompanied him, officials said. In 2014, he escaped from judicial custody in the Chhattisgarh area while being brought to Mumbai. Nayeem also allegedly conducted reconnaissance of different tourist destinations in Delhi, UP and Himachal Pradesh for the purpose of carrying out terror attacks.
