Two arrested for helping Al Qaeda suspect obtain passport

Syed Parvez and Sheikh Gulam Mohammad were arrested by SOG after their names and signature appeared on documents on passport seized from Zafar Masood

Two persons were arrested by sleuths of Surat police's Special Operations Group(SOG) here for allegedly assisting an Al-Qaeda suspect in making a passport using fake documents, police said.

Syed Parvez and Sheikh Gulam Mohammad were arrested late night by SOG after their names and signature appeared on documents used to obtain a passport seized from Zafar Masood, an Al-Qaeda suspect arrested by Delhi police Special Cell in December last year, SOG police inspector B M Katariya said.

While Parvez is a driver, Ghulam Mohammad is a property dealer. Both are residents of Rander locality of Surat--the address on which the passport in question was obtained, Katariya said.

"Delhi police had seized four passports from Zafar Masood, arrested from Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh for his alleged links with Al-Qaeda, one of which had an address of Rander locality in Surat," Katariya said adding that both of them are relatives.

The duo had come in contact with Masood during the latter's stay in the city in 2003, he said.

"Delhi Police contacted us following which we launched an investigation and found that Zafar Masood had got in touch with the duo during his stay in Surat during 2003. The duo were found to having obtained fake documents and put in their signatures for passport obtained by Masood," Katariya said.

The SOG during its investigation found that the school leaving certificate and ration card used as documents for the passport were fake, he further said, adding: "we have taken them on four-day remand and will question them and investigate the matter further to find out if any more persons are involved in it.