Origin of fake currency in India: Islamic economic terrorism by Pakistan

It is estimated that around 1,69,000 crores of fake rupees are in circulation all over India. Both Banks and Government are in a denial mode, because probably they do not know what to do.

September 06, 2009

Fake currency and its linkage with crime
Origin of fake currency and its use
By Joginder Singh, IPS (Retd)

It is estimated that around 1,69,000 crores of fake rupees are in circulation all over India. Both Banks and Government are in a denial mode, because probably they do not know what to do.

India has become the victim of an other kind of terrorism from its neighbour, Pakistan. It is economic terrorism in printing and circulating counterfeit Indian notes. The Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI’s role in printing and circulation of fake Indian currency notes has never been a secret.

On its insistence, Pakistan Government has imported additional currency-standard printing paper from companies located in London to pursue its nefarious designs in India. Of late, Pakistan has been procuring currency-standard printing paper in huge quantities from London-based companies much higher than normal requirement of the country for printing its own currency. It is diverting it, to print fake Indian currency notes. It is believed that Pakistan Government printing press in Quetta (Baluchistan) Karachi’s security press, and two other presses in Lahore and Peshawar, are being used to print out counterfeit Indian currency.

The ISI has, been using Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to transport counterfeit currency to its conduits in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The modus operandi of the ISI was revealed by two Nepali counterfeit currency traffickers who were arrested by Thailand police sometimes back. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they were working for a prominent Nepali businessman. The fact that Nepali territory is being used by Pakistanis to smuggle counterfeit currency is well known. The first such expose was made when Pakistani diplomats were caught distributing fake Indian currency notes. One Naushad Alam Khan, arrested in Dhaka on April 24, 2008, with fake Indian currency notes worth Rs 50 lakh admitted his direct link with HuJI (Bangladesh) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan. It was found that both Khan and Hannan had fought for Taliban in Afghanistan.

Fake Indian currency notes racket is being carried out by using the network of underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim, not only in India but also in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal in close association with different terror outfits, according to one intelligence report. With Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh being active partners, with India in probing fake Indian currency notes (FICN) related cases, it is safe to assume that so far as the fake currency in India is concerned, its source is Pakistan.

Delhi police claims, to have busted a major ISI network, sometimes back, which was reportedly being used to pushing fake currency into our country. Three arrested men, by name, Nayeem, Wasim and Mohammed Muslim, have revealed that Thar Express, so called, friendship train, running between Munnabao in Pakistan and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, was being used to smuggle fake currency into India . Investigation, uncovered, that the fake currency was arranged in Dubai. Fake currency to the extent of Rs 33 lakh was seized from them. They have confirmed that the Indian currency is printed in Pakistan and illegally pushed in India through Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand.

The menace of finely printed currency has achieved new heights, that quite often, the customers do get fake currencies through ATMs. The worst is that when they approach banks with the complain of receiving a fake note, bank official impound the notes. As per the law of land, the bank should lodge an FIR with police, which would investigate the source of the fake currency. Banks obviously have not been to cope with the problem.

According to one Government committee estimate, counterfeit currency amounting to Rs 169,000 crore is floating around in the Indian financial system. This has been denied by the Reserve Bank of India. From real estate transactions to ordinary grocery shopping, paying to sources and terrorist’s expenses, these bogus notes are being used. Even if this figure is taken 20 to 25 per cent, as correct, it is still a huge amount, and sufficient to damage India’s economy. “In 2008, the CBI registered 13 cases having international/ inter-State ramifications relating to the recovery/ seizure of fake Indian currency notes,”

According to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), between January and August 2008, 1,170 cases had been registered across the country in connection with fake currency. Bogus notes with a face value of Rs 3.63 crore had been seized. NCRB data shows 2,204 such cases were reported in 2007.

Investigations into the Mumbai 26/11 attacks have revealed that a large part of the money to fund the terror operation were obtained through fake currency rackets and hawala channels.

It is also believed that Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence raises Rs 1,800 crore (Rs 18 billion) annually to fund terror operations and that a major chunk of this amount comes in through fake currency rackets.

Intelligence sources believe that Rs 30 lakh of the Rs 50 lakh spent, on the attack on the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, in December 2005 was obtained through the fake currency racket. This is big menace, which should be tackled with no holds barred, even if it means walking with the devil till we have decimated this problem.

Fake currency and its linkage with crime

It is rightly said, that the poor of the world, cannot be made richer by redistribution of wealth. But, there are some, who seek a short cut, to riches through crime and use of counterfeit currency. Criminals believe, that whatever is worth doing is worth doing for the money. Nevertheless, the truth is that the wealth is the product of industry, ambition, character and untiring effort. The Special Task Force, (STF) of Uttar Pradesh, last year claimed to have busted a major international racket involved, in supply of fake currency notes.

It seized counterfeit Indian currency worth a face value of Rs 16 lakh. The gang leader, arrested in Lucknow with three of his aides, has confessed to have pumped into circulation over Rs 2 crore in counterfeit currency in India in about two months. The gang members arrested have been identified as Suhail Singh alias Ram Shanker Singh of Sikahira locality under Khodare police station of Gonda-the gang leader-along with Sharma Paswan, Vinod Kumar Misra and Sanjay Kumar Patel, all natives of Champaran in Bihar.

The gang was using a set of six women couriers from Champaran in Bihar and another set of four hailing from Nepal. The fake currency notes had a different serial number. It showed, that they had not merely been printed from a scanned image of a genuine note by using coloured scanners and printers. In case the miscreants scan a genuine note and print copies of it, the serial number of such counterfeit currency notes remain the same. Putting a different serial number on each note explains that the counterfeit currency was being printed at a very large scale.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that the counterfeit currency notes travelled to Uttar Pradesh from Nepal from two different routes: From Nepal to UP via Bihar and directly to UP particularly through Sidhartnagar and Maharajganj route. A Rs 1,000 denomination note was bought at the rate of Rs 500 to Rs 600 each while the Rs 500 denomination was bought for Rs 300 to Rs 400 each.

According to the accused, counterfeit currency notes of smaller denomination-like those of Rs 100 and Rs 50, were also available, but at a higher cost, as compared to the bigger denominations. The reason given was that putting the bigger notes into circulation was more risky. The gang used private vehicles to cross the Nepal borders while the rest of the movement was done preferably on public transport. To minimise suspicion, women couriers, particularly those with young children, were preferred to carry the counterfeit currency notes within India and were paid two per cent of the total face value of the counterfeit notes. A male shadow was also used to trail the couriers to ensure that they were not trapped by the police.

It is estimated that around 1,69,000 crores of fake rupees are in circulation all over India. Both Banks and Government are in a denial mode, because probably they do not know what to do.

(The writer is former Director CBI and can be contacted at jogindersinghfdips@hotmail.com)

Nepal’s former prince Paras, kingpin of fake currency: ATS racket

Nepal ex-prince kingpin of fake notes racket?
Suchandana Gupta, TNN 1 September 2009

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh anti-terror squad on Monday arrested two Nepalese with fake Indian currency notes interrogated, made the startling disclosure that the kingpin of the racket was none other than Nepal’s former crown prince, Paras, as well as the son of a former Nepalese minister, Salim Mian Ansari. ( Watch Video )

In fact, Rajesh Gupta and Ateeq Ahmad, both Nepalese citizens, alleged that former King Gyanendra Singh’s son was working with Pakistan’s ISI and Mumbai underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim, reportedly hiding in Karachi. Salim Mian Ansari is a former forest minister of that country.

Both Gupta (42) and Ahmad (43) were trying to board a Gorakhpur-bound train at Bhopal railway station on Saturday when the cops swooped down on them, and caught them with 22 FICN of Rs 500 denomination. The notes were printed in Nepal.

“This is the first time we have caught fake note smugglers red-handed in Madhya Pradesh,” said deputy inspector general, ATS, Pawan Shrivastava. Sources in the state police headquarters said that the finance ministry and Central investigating agencies have been informed of the stunning disclosures made by the arrested Nepali citizens.

The role of Paras and Yunus Ansari is being further probed. Both Gupta and Ahmad have told the police that Ansari is the main link to ISI and D-company in Nepal. He is also a business partner of King Gyanendra’s son Paras. Intelligence agencies in India have always been intrigued about the exact businesses of Ansari.

Rajesh and Ahmad are businessmen who are considered the third level operators in the FICN racket. Police said there are five-levels in the operation starting with the masterminds based in Pakistan and Nepal. The last line is mostly petty criminals in India’s metros and other cities. Ahmad was a resident of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Twelve years ago, he married a girl in Nepal and got the citizenship of the Himalayan state. He settled sown in Birganj, the largest town in Nepal’s Terai region in the south-east part of the country close to Raxaul. Raxaul and Birganj have been known to be the transit points of FICN. Gupta, too, lives in Kathmandu.

“It’s an intricate network. The ISI has recruited large number of agents like Gupta and Ahmad who push crores of fake currency notes across the open borders of Nepal,” said ATS chief Shrivastava. Rajesh Gupta and Ateeq Ahmad brought the fake currency notes to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. They were in touch with at least 40 persons in Madhya Pradesh who work as their last link in the racket. The two have been remanded in police custody until September 8.

LeT tries to seal deal with Naxalites

Terror cocktail: LeT tries to seal deal with Naxals

Arunoday Mukharji / CNN-IBN

Jun 12, 2009

New Delhi: Mohammad Umair Madani is the latest catch in the Delhi Police net and they claim he is quite a big fish.

Lashkar-e-Toiba’s top man in Nepal, Madani was targeting India with some specific intentions, highlighting a whole new Lashkar gameplan which boasts of a more intelligent and threatening terror strategy than before. And at the heart of the strategy is an attempt to link the Lashkar’s network with the Naxals in central parts of the country.

CNN-IBN has exclusively learnt from highly-placed sources that apart from the metros, Madani had a special eye on Jharkhand. This is the first time that an Islamic extremist organisation seems to be reaching out to the Naxals for support, resulting in a deadly cocktail which could prove lethal for India.

Through Madani, the Lashkar was looking to align with local Naxal cadres and provide them logistical support and use their local bases to penetrate the red corridor and further their jihad.

With a firm hold in this region, the possible combination of a Naxal-Lashkar onslaught launched from almost five states would be an overwhelming force for security agencies to reckon with.

“There are strong linkages and the consequences are strongly adversarial to India because it is one solid integrated activity against the Union of India,” Editor of Indian Defence Review Bharat Verma said.

It is now clear that the Lashkar is waging a more intelligent war within India.

Madani was given specific tasks. He was asked to carefully pick highly qualified recruits which included two computer literate individuals from each metro.

He was to asked to establish contact between the Lashkar terror modules and the Naxal leadership.

He was also keeping an eye on the coastal areas of Kerala and increase recruitment for the Laskhar in the state.

He was on the lookout to recruit men who could sail and steer small motorised boats for coastal operations.

Alleged SIMI activist Abu Bashar, who was implicated by the Gujarat Police for the Ahmedabad serial blasts, has confessed to the presence of training camps in the coastal areas. But it is the Lashkar attempt to link-up with Naxal groups that is the real worry for security agencies now.

The fact that Madani spent many years in Nepal when Maoists were at their peak may be why he is inclined to a possible tie-up with Naxals.

But whatever be the reason behind the tie-up, the consequences are certain to be formidable, setting an uphill task for security forces in the near future, and seriously threatening homeland security for the people of India.

Terror cocktail: LeT tries to seal deal with Naxals

Arunoday Mukharji / CNN-IBN

Jun 12, 2009

New Delhi: Mohammad Umair Madani is the latest catch in the Delhi Police net and they claim he is quite a big fish.

Lashkar-e-Toiba’s top man in Nepal, Madani was targeting India with some specific intentions, highlighting a whole new Lashkar gameplan which boasts of a more intelligent and threatening terror strategy than before. And at the heart of the strategy is an attempt to link the Lashkar’s network with the Naxals in central parts of the country.

CNN-IBN has exclusively learnt from highly-placed sources that apart from the metros, Madani had a special eye on Jharkhand. This is the first time that an Islamic extremist organisation seems to be reaching out to the Naxals for support, resulting in a deadly cocktail which could prove lethal for India.

Through Madani, the Lashkar was looking to align with local Naxal cadres and provide them logistical support and use their local bases to penetrate the red corridor and further their jihad.

With a firm hold in this region, the possible combination of a Naxal-Lashkar onslaught launched from almost five states would be an overwhelming force for security agencies to reckon with.

“There are strong linkages and the consequences are strongly adversarial to India because it is one solid integrated activity against the Union of India,” Editor of Indian Defence Review Bharat Verma said.

It is now clear that the Lashkar is waging a more intelligent war within India.

Madani was given specific tasks. He was asked to carefully pick highly qualified recruits which included two computer literate individuals from each metro.

He was to asked to establish contact between the Lashkar terror modules and the Naxal leadership.

He was also keeping an eye on the coastal areas of Kerala and increase recruitment for the Laskhar in the state.

He was on the lookout to recruit men who could sail and steer small motorised boats for coastal operations.

Alleged SIMI activist Abu Bashar, who was implicated by the Gujarat Police for the Ahmedabad serial blasts, has confessed to the presence of training camps in the coastal areas. But it is the Lashkar attempt to link-up with Naxal groups that is the real worry for security agencies now.

The fact that Madani spent many years in Nepal when Maoists were at their peak may be why he is inclined to a possible tie-up with Naxals.

But whatever be the reason behind the tie-up, the consequences are certain to be formidable, setting an uphill task for security forces in the near future, and seriously threatening homeland security for the people of India.

Islamic terror network gains ground in Bihar

June 8, 2009

Terror network gains ground in Bihar

Amarnath Tewary | Patna

Lashkar-e-Tayyeba Nepal chief Mohd Omar Madni’s arrest has blown the lid off the terror networks gaining ground in Bihar. LeT Nepal chief’s arrest has also alarmed the authorities about the youth missing from Basopatti panchayats, native village of Madni.

Basopatti in Madhubani district is barely four km from Nepal’s bordering district of Jaynagar. Madni owns a palatial building in Balkatwa village of Basopatti panchayat where his mother and other relatives are still living. Villagers say that Madni last visited his village some two years ago to dispose his landed property.

Madni has been living in Nepal since 1985 and was reportedly running a travel agency there. Village head (Mukhia) Madan Paswan said that Madni even contested the State Assembly election in 1980 from Harlakhi constituency in Madhubani. Madni’s name appears as Mohd Mokir in voter’s list. His name also figured in the family survey conducted by the State Government.

Madni is said to be third of his five siblings. His eldest brother Mohd Juhair Salfi is a professor in Delhi. The other three brothers, said the villagers, are settled in Saudi Arabia. They also recalled that Madni too had earlier told them that he had a big business in Saudi Arabia.

When Madni was arrested and was later identified as Mohd Mokir, Basopatti villagers told local reporters that at least eight to ten young boys of the village have been missing since long. However, when some of the mediapersons tried to visit Madni’s house in Balkatwa village on Saturday and Sunday, the villagers chased them away saying that media is earning their village a bad name.

Madni’s father Moulvi Mohd Shamsul Haque was a moulvi at Salfia Madrassa in Varanasi where Madni and some of his brothers were educated.

After his arrest, the Delhi police are also expected to visit Basopatti to know more about Madni’s past and apparently to find out why and how many youth of the area have crossed the border to get training by ISI and LeT.

According to a local report, Madni had recruited over three dozen youth, including the Mumbai local train serial bomb blast accused Kamal Ansari. Ansari too belonged to Basopatti panchayat in Madhubani.

Earlier, Kamal Ahmad and Khalid Aziz both residents of Basopatti too were reportedly arrested for their alleged involvement in serial blasts in Mumbai trains. Another ISI operative Mohd Salahuddin, who too belonged to Madhubani, was arrested by UP police from Lucknow for his alleged involvement in attack on CRPF camp at Rampur.

There are a sizeable number of Muslims in Madhubani and Darbhanga, and since they are situated on the Indo-Nepal border, the ISI and LeT recruit maximum youth from these districts.

If intelligence reports are to be believed, Jaynagar in Nepal, barely ten km away from Basopatti, has become the main operative point for ISI and LeT operatives.

The anti-nationals could easily sneak into both the countries, India and Nepal crossing the porous border through villages like Mahwapur, Harlakhi, Basopatti, Ladanyian, Loukaha, Khutauna and Andhramath.

These villages on the Indo-Nepal border in Madhubani district have become a breeding ground for recruits in ISI and LeT.

Madni, said the local sources, was operating as the main conduit for recruiting the local boys for ISI and LeT.

Madni had reportedly caught the Delhi-bound train from Patna Junction and de-boarded at Aligarh. The interrogating agency is now trying to get Madni’s contacts in Patna.

Significantly, Bihar police have preferred to maintain tight-lipped on either the arrest of Madni or Basopatti in Madhubani becoming the breeding ground for anti-national activities.

June 8, 2009

Terror network gains ground in Bihar

Amarnath Tewary | Patna

Lashkar-e-Tayyeba Nepal chief Mohd Omar Madni’s arrest has blown the lid off the terror networks gaining ground in Bihar. LeT Nepal chief’s arrest has also alarmed the authorities about the youth missing from Basopatti panchayats, native village of Madni.

Basopatti in Madhubani district is barely four km from Nepal’s bordering district of Jaynagar. Madni owns a palatial building in Balkatwa village of Basopatti panchayat where his mother and other relatives are still living. Villagers say that Madni last visited his village some two years ago to dispose his landed property.

Madni has been living in Nepal since 1985 and was reportedly running a travel agency there. Village head (Mukhia) Madan Paswan said that Madni even contested the State Assembly election in 1980 from Harlakhi constituency in Madhubani. Madni’s name appears as Mohd Mokir in voter’s list. His name also figured in the family survey conducted by the State Government.

Madni is said to be third of his five siblings. His eldest brother Mohd Juhair Salfi is a professor in Delhi. The other three brothers, said the villagers, are settled in Saudi Arabia. They also recalled that Madni too had earlier told them that he had a big business in Saudi Arabia.

When Madni was arrested and was later identified as Mohd Mokir, Basopatti villagers told local reporters that at least eight to ten young boys of the village have been missing since long. However, when some of the mediapersons tried to visit Madni’s house in Balkatwa village on Saturday and Sunday, the villagers chased them away saying that media is earning their village a bad name.

Madni’s father Moulvi Mohd Shamsul Haque was a moulvi at Salfia Madrassa in Varanasi where Madni and some of his brothers were educated.

After his arrest, the Delhi police are also expected to visit Basopatti to know more about Madni’s past and apparently to find out why and how many youth of the area have crossed the border to get training by ISI and LeT.

According to a local report, Madni had recruited over three dozen youth, including the Mumbai local train serial bomb blast accused Kamal Ansari. Ansari too belonged to Basopatti panchayat in Madhubani.

Earlier, Kamal Ahmad and Khalid Aziz both residents of Basopatti too were reportedly arrested for their alleged involvement in serial blasts in Mumbai trains. Another ISI operative Mohd Salahuddin, who too belonged to Madhubani, was arrested by UP police from Lucknow for his alleged involvement in attack on CRPF camp at Rampur.

There are a sizeable number of Muslims in Madhubani and Darbhanga, and since they are situated on the Indo-Nepal border, the ISI and LeT recruit maximum youth from these districts.

If intelligence reports are to be believed, Jaynagar in Nepal, barely ten km away from Basopatti, has become the main operative point for ISI and LeT operatives.

The anti-nationals could easily sneak into both the countries, India and Nepal crossing the porous border through villages like Mahwapur, Harlakhi, Basopatti, Ladanyian, Loukaha, Khutauna and Andhramath.

These villages on the Indo-Nepal border in Madhubani district have become a breeding ground for recruits in ISI and LeT.

Madni, said the local sources, was operating as the main conduit for recruiting the local boys for ISI and LeT.

Madni had reportedly caught the Delhi-bound train from Patna Junction and de-boarded at Aligarh. The interrogating agency is now trying to get Madni’s contacts in Patna.

Significantly, Bihar police have preferred to maintain tight-lipped on either the arrest of Madni or Basopatti in Madhubani becoming the breeding ground for anti-national activities.

top aide of LET chief caught, mission to recruit Islamic terrorists from India

 

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200906051709.htm

LeT key operator in Nepal asked to recruit youth from India

New Delhi (PTI) Mohd Omar Madni, a top aide of Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed, who was arrested in the capital on Thursday, had been asked by leaders of the terror outfit to recruit young people from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata for training in Pakistan.

Madni, who too visited Pakistan for training to carryout terror attacks, is a Nepalese citizen and was a key operator for LeT there, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P N Aggarwal told reporters here on Friday.

A Special Cell team arrested 50-year-old Madni from Qutub Minar area when he arrived to hand-over money to a contact for recruiting people for terror activities.

The police claimed that Madni was working on “talent spotting for terrorist activities, sending then for training in Lashkar camps in Pakistan and launching them in India.”

Besides Hafiz, Madni was also in touch with other LeT key functionaries Zaki-ur-Rehman and Mohd Yakub who asked him to recruit two educated youngsters each from the four main metros for terror training.

Mr. Aggarwal said Madni was also asked to select people from coastal areas who were good sailors and were interested in shipping, young men who have worked in fireworks factory to be trained in IED manufacturing and a person in Jammu to carry money to Srinagar.

Home Minister P Chidambaram said Madni “does have” links with Saeed. “It (the arrest) is a measure of the good intelligence and good investigative work done by our intelligence agencies and police.”

Saeed, a prime accused in the Mumbai attacks case, was set free on Wednesday by the Lahore High Court after a six-month detention while Rehman is one of the key conspirators of the Mumbai attacks.

Madni was on Friday produced before a Delhi court which remanded him to 14-days’ police custody.

Mr. Aggarwal said Madni was specifically asked by his handler to recruit youths from the metros who are graduates with expertise in computer technology.

“He was also assigned the task to recruit fishermen in Konkan and coastal states like Kerala. Jharkhand was another state where he was asked to do talent hunting,” he said.

Madni’s brother Hafiz Mohd Zubair (40), also linked to LeT, operates from Qatar.

It was in 1996 that Madni, who can speak Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, English, Bengali and Nepali, was initiated into “jehadi activities” after he was motivated by Markaz-Dawa- Wal-Irshad members.

“On their instructions, he visited Lahore in 1997. The next year he took Daura-e-Aam and Daura-e-Khas training in LeT camps. During this visit, he was called by top leaders of JuD and LeT and assigned the task to make a strong base in Nepal for easy infiltration to India,” Mr. Aggarwal said.

“He was also assigned the task to recruit youths from India and Nepal for terror activities. He sent more than 30 people to Pakistan,” he said. In 2000, when he visited Pakistan for another time, he was asked to pump in terror funding into India through Nepal, Mr. Aggarwal said.

Madni then came in contact with one Saifulla in Nepal and opened several bank accounts to facilitate flow of money from Pakistan.

“He was also asked to provide logistical support to terrorists staying in Nepal before they were sent to India to carry out terror strikes,” said Mr. Aggarwal.

While Madni opened Nice Travels and Tours in Kathmandu as a cover to his activities, Saifullah opened a surgical equipment shop. “Madni used to receive terror funding through a well-known money transfer agency,” he said.

Three of the recruits were arrested in Delhi in 2004 which prompted Madni to stop visiting India and Saifullah to go back to Pakistan. Saifulla was replaced by one Mohd Usman.

According to Mr. Aggarwal, the accused has recruited more than 30 people including one Kamal Ansari, who was arrested in connection with the Mumbai train blast case.

Madni, who was born in Bihar’s Madhubhani, was carrying USD 8,000, Rs (Nepalese) 4,068, fake Indian currency with a face value of Rs 15,000 and a Nepalese citizenship card was also allegedly recovered from him.

“Police also seized a matrix and other documents from him. There are many coded statements in the diary we recovered from him. Most of the codes were written in Urdu,” he said.

When pointed out that JuD has denied any links with Madni, Mr. Aggarwal said he was telling what the accused have told his interrogators.

LeT key operator in Nepal asked to recruit youth from India

June 5, 2009

New Delhi (PTI) Mohd Omar Madni, a top aide of Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed, who was arrested in the capital on Thursday, had been asked by leaders of the terror outfit to recruit young people from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata for training in Pakistan.

Madni, who too visited Pakistan for training to carryout terror attacks, is a Nepalese citizen and was a key operator for LeT there, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P N Aggarwal told reporters here on Friday.

A Special Cell team arrested 50-year-old Madni from Qutub Minar area when he arrived to hand-over money to a contact for recruiting people for terror activities.

The police claimed that Madni was working on “talent spotting for terrorist activities, sending then for training in Lashkar camps in Pakistan and launching them in India.”

Besides Hafiz, Madni was also in touch with other LeT key functionaries Zaki-ur-Rehman and Mohd Yakub who asked him to recruit two educated youngsters each from the four main metros for terror training.

Mr. Aggarwal said Madni was also asked to select people from coastal areas who were good sailors and were interested in shipping, young men who have worked in fireworks factory to be trained in IED manufacturing and a person in Jammu to carry money to Srinagar.

Home Minister P Chidambaram said Madni “does have” links with Saeed. “It (the arrest) is a measure of the good intelligence and good investigative work done by our intelligence agencies and police.”

Saeed, a prime accused in the Mumbai attacks case, was set free on Wednesday by the Lahore High Court after a six-month detention while Rehman is one of the key conspirators of the Mumbai attacks.

Madni was on Friday produced before a Delhi court which remanded him to 14-days’ police custody.

Mr. Aggarwal said Madni was specifically asked by his handler to recruit youths from the metros who are graduates with expertise in computer technology.

“He was also assigned the task to recruit fishermen in Konkan and coastal states like Kerala. Jharkhand was another state where he was asked to do talent hunting,” he said.

Madni’s brother Hafiz Mohd Zubair (40), also linked to LeT, operates from Qatar.

It was in 1996 that Madni, who can speak Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, English, Bengali and Nepali, was initiated into “jehadi activities” after he was motivated by Markaz-Dawa- Wal-Irshad members.

“On their instructions, he visited Lahore in 1997. The next year he took Daura-e-Aam and Daura-e-Khas training in LeT camps. During this visit, he was called by top leaders of JuD and LeT and assigned the task to make a strong base in Nepal for easy infiltration to India,” Mr. Aggarwal said.

“He was also assigned the task to recruit youths from India and Nepal for terror activities. He sent more than 30 people to Pakistan,” he said. In 2000, when he visited Pakistan for another time, he was asked to pump in terror funding into India through Nepal, Mr. Aggarwal said.

Madni then came in contact with one Saifulla in Nepal and opened several bank accounts to facilitate flow of money from Pakistan.

“He was also asked to provide logistical support to terrorists staying in Nepal before they were sent to India to carry out terror strikes,” said Mr. Aggarwal.

While Madni opened Nice Travels and Tours in Kathmandu as a cover to his activities, Saifullah opened a surgical equipment shop. “Madni used to receive terror funding through a well-known money transfer agency,” he said.

Three of the recruits were arrested in Delhi in 2004 which prompted Madni to stop visiting India and Saifullah to go back to Pakistan. Saifulla was replaced by one Mohd Usman.

According to Mr. Aggarwal, the accused has recruited more than 30 people including one Kamal Ansari, who was arrested in connection with the Mumbai train blast case.

Madni, who was born in Bihar’s Madhubhani, was carrying USD 8,000, Rs (Nepalese) 4,068, fake Indian currency with a face value of Rs 15,000 and a Nepalese citizenship card was also allegedly recovered from him.

“Police also seized a matrix and other documents from him. There are many coded statements in the diary we recovered from him. Most of the codes were written in Urdu,” he said.

When pointed out that JuD has denied any links with Madni, Mr. Aggarwal said he was telling what the accused have told his interrogators.

Arrested cleric ran Lashkar’s Nepal hub

June 6, 2009, Praveen Swami, The Hindu

NEW DELHI: An alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative held on Thursday ran a logistical hub that funnelled dozens of jihadists through Nepal to targets across in India, Delhi Police sources have told The Hindu.

Working with fugitive Lashkar commander Mohammad Saifullah, Bihar-born Nepali national Mohammad Omar Madani provided Lashkar operatives with passports, cash and communications facilities that allowed them to travel from Pakistan to India through Kathmandu — and then secure their escape.

Fahim Arshad Ansari, who is now being tried on charges of having generated the videotape that facilitated the training of the perpetrators of November’s carnage in Mumbai, is among those alleged to have benefited from the logistical infrastructure Madani helped set up. Sabahuddin Ahmed, Ansari’s immediate superior and the first Indian national to have commanded a Lashkar field unit, also used the Lashkar’s transit hub.

Lured by lucre?

Madani’s journey into the Lashkar, Delhi police sources said, began after he tapped Nepali Islamists for funds to expand the family-run Shams-ul-Huda seminary at Kalyanpur, in Nepal’s Saptari district.

Nepal-based Jamaat Ahl-e-Hadis activists Abdul Khaliq and Mohammad Haroun are alleged to have put Madani in contact with the Markaz Dawat wal’Irshad —the name used by the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s parent organisation, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, prior to its proscription by Pakistan in 2002.

According to the Delhi police, Madani first attended the Markaz’s annual rally at Muridke, near Lahore, in 1997. He met with Markaz chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed — who was controversially released from house arrest in Pakistan earlier this week — as well as key military commanders Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi and then in-charge of operations targeting India, Mohammad Azam Cheema.

Delhi police sources said Madani had visited Pakistan at least twice in recent years and met Saeed on both occasions. He also spent time in Qatar raising funds for Islamist causes in Nepal.

Police believe Madani recruited upwards of two dozen residents of the India-Nepal borderlands to the Lashkar. Among them is Kamal Ahmed Ansari, who is now being tried for his alleged role in the 2006 bombing of Mumbai’s suburban train system.

Born in Balkatuwa village in Bihar’s Madhubani district, Saudi Arabia-educated Madani belongs to a locally-renowned clerical family.

His father, Shams-ul-Huda Madani, set the Jamia Islamia madrasa at Janakpur, just across the border in Nepal, more than two decades ago.

Speaking to journalists in New Delhi, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram described Madani’s arrest as “a measure of the good intelligence and good investigative work done by our intelligence agencies and police.”

Islamic terrorists use Nepal route to come to India

How terror travels to India in a bus
Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru

April 02, 2009 15:07 IST

The arrest of Rashid Malabari may have opened a can of worms. But what is more startling is how this man managed to slip into India despite a red corner alert by the Interpol against him.

Investigating officials firmly believe that this man could have used the Nepal route to enter into India. It may be noted that Nepal is the favourite route for both members of the D Gang as well as dreaded Lashkar-e-Tayiba [Images] terrorists. In fact, all it takes is just Rs 5,000 to cross over from Nepal into India.

Sources told rediff.com that the Nepal route is preferred by terrorists since the ISI has a well-organised syndicate there.

Sabahuddin, an accused in the Mumbai [Images] attack who was also the chief of operations for the LeT in Nepal, too confirmed this during his interrogation.

Once the green signal is given by the LeT or chiefs of the D gang, the operatives fly into Doha from Lahore [Images] on a fake passport. A member of the terror outfit is usually accompanied by an ISI member. In Sabahuddin’s case, it was a man by the name Major Doggar.

In Doha, the operative needs to wait three more hours before boarding the flight to Kathmandu. The entire process is monitored by the ISI, Sabahuddin adds.

This is, however, the last time that these operatives are asked to contact the ISI. They are instructed never to contact the ISI in future as it could prove to be dangerous.

Once in Kathmandu, these operatives are directed to destroy the Pakistani passport and then flush it down the toilet. Then, they are instructed to mail their higher ups using coded language.

After staying over in Kathmandu for a day, they are asked to meet a local person at a particular location. A cash payment of Rs 5,000 is made to this person, who in turn helps these operatives cross over to India on a motorcycle. The person who helps them cross the border ensures that the operative has boarded a bus and only then leaves the place.

The bus journey is most preferred by both terror and underworld operatives once within India. They are asked to destroy anything that they possess that is even remotely related to Pakistan and asked only to use the bus since there is hardly any checking while boarding a bus.

ISI planning super terrorism in India – must read

ISI expands network from J&K to South; talks ‘super terrorism’

NEW DELHI, AUG 29 (PTI)
Terror groups backed by Pakistan’s ISI could use chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological weapons against India initiating a form of “super terrorism”, warns a Union Home Ministry report.

With ISI spreading its tentacles in the country from Jammu and Kashmir to down South, the report spoke of active terror modules mushrooming in Bihar, Assam and West Bengal where the sleeper cells have been assigned with specific targets.

In its section on terror groups and weapons of mass destruction, the report said “super terrorism in this perspective can be defined as projected future use of chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological weapons by terrorist groups.”

The report said Indo-Nepal border in Bihar is being used for smuggling of arms, explosives, fake currency into the country, while the agency was focusing on Uttar Pradesh to fund Madrasas and recruit youngsters for subversive activities.

South India too is an important part of the overall ISI game-plan since it is being targeted to recruit unemployed youths.

The report also mentions that ISI is trying to revive Punjab militancy and form new anti-India groups in the state.

While Maharashtra has been a victim of underworld gangs which have strong links with ISI, the report mentions that the Pakistan agency was also trying to liaison with the underworld in Gujarat and are using the coastal line for transporting arms and drug running operations.

Sec agencies worried over Madrassas along Indo-Nepal border

Sec agencies worried over Madrassas along Indo-Nepal border

ACHINTA BORAH
NEW DELHI, JUL 13 (PTI)

Security agencies are working overtime these days along the Indo-Nepal border, the reason being the growth of large number of Madrassas that have come up in a disproportionate way and are not proportional to the Muslim population in the area.

Some of the Madrassas or Islamic seminaries are believed to be the safe houses for the militant groups who were trying to set up the bases in the Himalayan kingdom and operate from there, says a top security official said.

“Setting up of Madrassas is nothing wrong. But what is worrying us is the Madrassas are not proportionate to the Muslim population in the area,” he said.

On the Indian side the Islamic seminaries have come up in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti, Siddharth Nagar and Balrampur districts while in Nepal, the Madrassas are concentrated on Jhanda Nagar and Barhi-Krishna Nagar areas.

“It is a known fact that ISI has a good base in Nepal and we suspect that many of the Madrassas have been abetted and assisted by the agency to spread their nefarious design in India,” the official said.

UP and Uttarakhand share 863 km border with Nepal. Unlike clearly demarcated Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir, the situation along the Indo-Nepal border is different where the border is porus. Besides, there is conventional movement of people from both sides of the border as Nepal and India share good relations and friendship.

“We maintain vigil on the movement of people along the border. But full-proof vigil is not possible due to the nature of the border,” he said.

ISI flooding fake notes into India

Fake notes flowing into India
7 Jun, 2008, 1736 hrs IST, TNN

CHENNAI: Pakistan’s ISI has found a better way to destabilise the booming Indian economy. Their agents based in the Middle East are recruiting people to carry counterfeit currency to India through Colombo.

The currency is printed in small printing units in Islamabad. The law enforcement agencies have got vital clues regarding the involvement of ISI in the counterfeit currency racket operating in India. They also suspect the role of dreaded don, Dawood Ibrahim.

“We have no documentary proof to substantiate this. However, we have some specific intelligence connecting Dawood Ibrahim and the ISI to the counterfeit currency racket based in Pakistan and the Middle East, which releases crores worth of fake notes to India through Colombo,” a senior official of a law enforcement agency told TOI.

The racket is so well-organized that they source the paper from a company in London. This is the same place from which the Indian government is also procuring the paper. They then duplicate the Indian rupee to utmost perfection. “How they managed to spot the same company which supplies the paper to us is still a mystery. They also managed to produce notes which are almost similar to our currency . The laymen cannot distinguish the fakes produced in Pakistan from the original. Even officials from RBI have found it difficult to distinguish between these fakes and originals,” the official said.

Several reports of seizure of Pakistan-produced fake notes in Tamil Nadu and Kerala indicate a large scale flow of fake currency to the Indian market. “The standard operational procedure of the racket is to route the fake currency consignments first to the Middle East and then to Colombo before sending it to major entry points like Chennai and Kochi. The currency notes with face value of several crores are sent in one consignment to Colombo. The racket has storage facilities in Colombo. So they store the bundles there and send that to India in small consignments. They usually send around Rs 25 lakh worth notes in one consignment,” another official said.

The racket mainly uses the erstwhile gold carriers to smuggle fake currency. “The carriers once used by gold smugglers have a good base in the Middle East. These carriers are now low on business as gold smuggling has come down heavily following duty relaxation. So the racket finds it easy to recruit these carriers to smuggle counterfeit currency .

The carriers are not really bothered about the stuff they carry. They are only interested in the money they get,” another official said.

According to sources, a good number of carriers who are used by the fake currency racket belong to Kasargod and Malapuram districts in Kerala. They predominantly use the false bottom concealment method to smuggle the fake currency.

“The trade secret is that when they bring fake currency worth Rs 25 lakh, they have one or two lakh worth of original notes kept on top of the bundle to mislead the enforcement agencies,” an official said.

If the carriers manage to come out of the airport without any trouble , they hand over the notes to the agents waiting outside the airport. The money is then taken to the respective destination via road. The money is mainly used in real estate business, where the circulation of black money is very high.

“In most of the real estate deals, about 50 percent of the transaction amount is given as black money. The agents use the fake currency to pay this 50 percent. So it is difficult for the person who has been cheated by the gang to approach the police, even after realising that the currency paid to him was fake,” the official added.

HOW COUNTERFEIT NOTES ENTER INDIA

Intelligence agencies have specific information that Dawood Ibrahim and the ISI are involved in the counterfeit currency racket based in the Middle East and Pakistan. This racket releases crores worth of fake notes to India through Colombo

The racket is so well-organized that they source the paper from a company in London. This is the same place from which the Indian government is also procuring the paper. They then duplicate the Indian rupee to utmost perfection The standard operational procedure of the racket is to route the fake currency consignments first to the Middle East and then to Colombo before sending it to major entry points like Chennai and Calicut.

Courtesy: Times of India

var RN = new String (Math.random());
var RNS = RN.substring (2,11);
b2 = ‘<iframe align=”left” src=\”http://adstil.indiatimes.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.economictimes.com/Stories/index.html/1’+RNS+’@Right3?\” WIDTH=255 HEIGHT=250 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no bordercolor=\”#000000\”> </iframe>’;
if (doweshowbellyad==1)
bellyad.innerHTML = b2;