Tauqeer Qureshi will be brought to Gujarat: State police

Indian Mujahideen militant Tauqeer Qureshi, arrested by the Delhi Police on Saturday, will be brought to Gujarat for interrogation on his role in serial bomb blasts, killing 56 in Ahmedabad and other cities in the state, in 2008, a police official said on Monday.

"Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer Qureshi...will be brought back to Gujarat for interrogation for his role in the 2008 serial blasts. He played a crucial role in these blasts which killed 56 people," Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) J.K. Bhatt told the media.

"We are in constant touch with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-Special Cell and other officials of the Delhi Police. After obtaining a transfer warrant, we will get his custody and bring him back to the state... Our officials will soon be leaving for Delhi for that," JCP Bhatt said.

According to Bhat, Qureshi is an active member of SIMI and was in constant touch with the Bhatkal brothers -- Yaseen and Riyaz, and played a significant role in serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad and other cities.

He had attended SIMI meetings and later also those of the Mujahideen. He had also gone to Kerala in 2007 for training. He incited the youth in Juhapura, a Muslim ghetto in Ahmedabad, in 2003 and during a meeting in Halol-Pavagadh in 2008.

"Qureshi had also spent some time in Vadodara and came in contact with Qayamuddin Kapadia. He played a role in selecting the places to plant the bombs in Gujarat cities. For his training and other activities, Qureshi has visited Pakistan thrice," Bhatt added.

--IANS

amc/nir