Chennai: Investigations into the murder of Special Sub-Inspector Wilson in Kanyakumari district took a crucial turn with the arrest of alleged ISIS handler Mehboob Basha (45) by Karnataka police.
Special police teams are questioning him to find out his links with the international terror outfit and other related activities. It is said he has given to the police some important information about his network and plans.
Basha, leader of the Al-Umma, a banned outfit, was arrested in Bengaluru on Friday by the Karnataka police.
Before he was arrested, police took into custody three men identified as Mansoor, Jebibullah and Ajmedullah who are members of Al-Umma.
As per reports, while questioning the trio they revealed the role of Basha in planning to trigger a communal trouble in Tamilnadu.
Later, police found that Mehboob was involved in Wilson’s murder at Kerala-Tamilnadu border in Kanyakumari, reports said.
On 8 January, two men identified as Shameem and Thoufeeq shot at an unarmed Wilson while he was on a routine vehicle check at Kaliyakkavilai check post in Kanyakumari.
Subsequently, the duo from Nagercoil in Kanyakumari were arrested and produced before Kuzhithurai court. They were booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Friday and are currently lodged in Palayamkottai jail. Both have been remanded in judicial custody till 20 January.
It may be noted that, under UAPA, the accused can be kept under detention for 90 days without bail, which can extend up to 180 days.
Sources claimed that the attack was carried out as terrorists wanted to take revenge on the Tamilnadu police and State administration who hindered their weapons smuggling activity and arrested their counterparts in Delhi. They thought that shooting a policeman would create fear among the force.
The Tamilnadu ‘Q’ branch who had questioned the accused got information that nearly 17 persons were involved in the case. The accused told police that they were trained for suicide attacks.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in soon expected to take up further investigation in the case as the suspects are believed to be linked to a pan India IS network and possibly beyond borders too.
Speaking to the media, N Sreenath, Superintendent of Police of Kanyakumari said that the two accused were upset over the arrest of their aides and hence killed Wilson to take revenge on the police.
Sources said that the men had confessed to their crime to the police, and added that they had also allegedly planned coordinated attacks using suicide bombers on 26 January.