Terrorism-related Incidents in Gujarat, 2007-2009

2009

June 13: A local court in Ahmedabad sent four Indian Mujahideen militants to Police custody till June 25, in connection with the Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case. The four were reportedly brought on transit remand from the national capital Delhi. The four IM cadres are also accused of the serial bomb blasts in Delhi.
June 1: One bomb and a letter of the SIMI were recovered between the rail lines at around 50 metres from the Anand railway station, the Police said. The bomb, defused later, was reportedly attached to a timer device and had metal shrapnel and glass pieces. The letter was typed in Gujarati and signed in the name of the banned SIMI, asking the people to join ‘jihad’ and follow the SIMI. The origin of the letter was being investigated, the Police added.
February 11: 18 Pakistani nationals were arrested along with two boats by the Indian Coast Guard near the Jakhau coast in Kutch District. An official spokesman said the fishermen were taken to Jakhau, where after preliminary investigation they would be handed over to the Kutch Police for questioning. It was the second time in the last few days that Pakistani boats were found in the Indian territorial waters and seized. Three boats with 24 Pakistani nationals were reportedly seized near the Jakhau port last week.
January 18: Four locally-made live bombs were recovered by the Gujarat Police from the Karanj area of Ahmedabad.
January 15: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) seized two Pakistani boats and arrested 17 Pakistani nationals aboard the boats near the Cori creek coast in Gujarat. After seizing the boats, the ICG ship towed it to Jakhau coast, where all the arrested Pakistani nationals were being interrogated. "While carrying out patrolling inside our International Maritime Boundary (IMB), one of our fast patrolling craft P-142 apprehended two Pakistani fishing trawlers with 17 Pakistanis on it, 12 nautical miles off the Cori creek coast in Gujarat," a Coast Guard official said. The official did not rule out the possibility of the two boats being used for carrying out anti-India activities.

2008

December 4: A Madhya Pradesh court handed over an alleged terrorist, identified as Qayimuddin alias Musa alias Rizwan, wanted in connection with the July 26 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts, to the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Gujarat Police.
December 2: Seven Pakistani nationals, who claimed they were fishermen, were detained and their fishing trawler was seized by the Indian Coast Guard in the Jakhau port in Gujarat. A Coast Guard spokesman said the boat "Al Rafiq" was intercepted when the men were found fishing deep inside Indian territorial waters.
November 10: Gujrat Police has said that the Madhya Pradesh Police have arrested the main conspirators of the July 26 Ahmedabad serial blasts, identified as Qayamuddin Kapadia, from an unspecified place in Madhya Pradesh. Qayamuddin allegedly planted cycle bombs in the Ahmedabad as well as bombs in different parts of Surat and was also responsible for purchase of cycles on which the bombs were planted and kept in different parts of the city, said Joint Commissioner of Police of Ahmedabad city, Ashish Bhatia. He was also an expert in using explosives, and reportedly present during various Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) terror training camps in Waghamon in Kerala and Halol near Vadodara and was instrumental in training the participants.
November 9: The Maharashtra ATS has arrested one more Malegaon blast accused, identified as Ramji, from the tribal-dominated Dangs District in Gujarat. Ramji was a volunteer in the Shabri temple and was alleged to have used Sadhvi Pragnya’s motorbike in Malegaon. He was reportedly connected with the Hindu Jagran Manch activist Swami Ashimananda.
November 1: Twenty eight SIMI cadres, who are accused of being involved in the July 26 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts, were remanded to Police custody till November 6 by Metropolitan Magistrate G. M. Patel. They included mastermind Mufti Abu Basher and SIMI leader Safdar Nagori.
October 23: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested three persons on charges of involvement in the September 29 bomb blast in Malegaon in Maharashtra. They were identified as a sadhvi (female saint) Pragnya Singh Chandrapal Singh, Shiv Narayan Gopal Singh Kalsanghra, and Shyam Bhawarlal Sahu. While Pragnya Singh was arrested from Surat, the other two persons were arrested from unspecified places in Madhya Pradesh. They have been booked under various sections of the Indian Explosives Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
October 20: A terror suspect, Mohammad Ali, arrested in Madhya Pradesh and brought to Ahmedabad for questioning in connection with the serial blasts in the city, was sent in Police custody till October 23 by a Metropolitan court. Mohammad Ali was brought on transit warrant from Jabalpur jail in Madhya Pradesh by the City Crime Branch for his alleged involvement in the July 26 serial blasts. He is allegedly involved in the blast at the city civil hospital. According to Crime Branch officials, Ali was the key financier for the SIMI and used to bring money from outside India through Hawala channels. "Mohammad Ali was present in the SIMI camp held in Halol (near Vadodara). His name propped up during interrogation of those under our custody," Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP), Crime Branch, Ashish Bhatia, said, adding, "It is believed that he was involved in the conspiracy of conducting serial blasts in Ahmedabad and other places in the country. He was also the local financier for the SIMI activities."
October 8: A crude bomb exploded in the Hatikhana area of Vododara city without causing any loss of life or injuries. Police later recovered three more crude bombs and gun powder from the area. The bombs were later defused.
September 29: Two persons were killed and 16 others injured in a bomb blast in the minority-dominated Tuka Bazaar at Modasa town in Sabarkantha District. Earlier in the morning, 17 low-intensity crude bombs were recovered from the Kotnirang area at Kalupur in the old city of Ahmedabad. The bombs with shrapnel and other discarded materials were kept in small tins in a bucket, which was left in a dustbin.
September 15: Ahmedabad Police arrested two persons in connection with the July 26 serial blasts in the city. The arrested persons were identified as Ashok Kabira alias Umar Kabira who used to work as a sewage cleaner with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Salim Sipahi who is considered to be an explosives expert. Police stated that Kabira organised meetings of terror operatives at his Juhapura residence and participated in the serial blasts conspiracy. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Abhay Chudasama said the second accused Salim Sipahi "has been with the radical groups since he was 15 years old. He has undergone extensive training in bomb making. He knows how to manufacture various types of bombs. His role in Ahmedabad blasts is under the scanner."
September 4: Four suspected SIMI cadres were arrested in connection with the July 26 Ahmedabad bomb blasts from Ahmedabad and Bhuj towns. An Ahmedabad Police spokesman said that while Naved Kadri, Aiyyaz Sayed and Zaved Ahmed were arrested from Ahmedabad, Abbas Asmeja was arrested from Bhuj. The arrests took place following confessions made by the 10 main accused SIMI cadres. Aiyyaz was among those who had actually placed some of the bombs. Naved Kadri was present at the final planning meeting held in Juhapura. Zaved Ahmed had procured a gas cylinder from Kalupur area, which was used in the car bomb placed at the trauma centre in the civil hospital. Asmeja had secured a house, under a false name on behalf of the SIMI, under rehabilitation projects for the people hit by the 2001 Kutch earthquake. The house was sold recently to part-finance the blasts.
August 26: Gujarat Police arrested Tanveer Pathan alias Sameer, a suspected SIMI member, from the Mira road area in Mumbai for his alleged involvement in the planting of bombs in Surat. Police sources said Pathan's name was revealed during the interrogation of Sajid Mansuri, an accused arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts case. An unidentified Police officer told, "Pathan was in touch with several SIMI activists in Pune and we passed on this information to the Gujarat Police. After Pathan's name emerged in the investigation, a team from the Gujarat Police arrived in Mumbai. With the help of the ATS, the Gujarat team caught Pathan."
August 20: Following information given by the arrested SIMI cadre Usman Agarbattiwala, the Ahmedabad Police recovered two pistols, a pipe bomb, balloons and 19 CDs and DVDs containing speeches of Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders, laptops and hard drives from different places in the city. Usman was one of the 10 SIMI members arrested for their alleged involvement in the Ahmedabad serial blasts.
August 19: A team of the Gujarat Police arrested dentist Mohammed Salim Honali (31) from Bijapur in Karnataka. Honali used to work with the MA Rangoonwala College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre at the Azam Campus in Pune till May 2008 before he was laid off. ATS officials suspect that Honali not only had a significant role in the recent Ahmedabad blasts but was also brainwashing other youth to bring them into the radical fold.
August 17: Three persons were arrested in Bharuch for renting a house to the SIMI activist Sajid Mansuri, who allegedly played a key role in the July 26 Ahmedabad serial blasts. Mansuri had taken the house on rent from Saeed Hayat at Lukman society in Bharuch. Hayat had the power of attorney over the house that belonged to a London-based non-resident Indian. Two persons, Yusuf Patel and Maqbul Patel, had recommended the name of Sajid Mansuri to Saeed Hayat.
August 16: Gujarat Police announced the arrest of SIMI leader Abul Bashar Qasmi, who allegedly was the mastermind behind the July 26 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts. Director-General of Police P.C. Pandey said Qasmi was arrested from a village in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh (UP) by a joint team of the UP and Gujarat Police. The Gujarat Police also said with this arrest they had unraveled the conspiracy that led to the bombings. Before Qasmi’s arrest, nine SIMI cadres were arrested from Ahmedabad and Vadodara. "We now have the entire details of how and where the plans for the Ahmedabad blasts were chalked out, who were the people involved and how the entire plan was operationalised," Pandey said. He also claimed that the same group was involved in planting bombs in Surat.
August 14: A SIMI cadre, identified as Mohammad Sajid Mansori, was arrested in Bharuch in connection with the serial blasts in Ahmedabad on July 26. Mansori is suspected to have been part of the conspiracy to carry out the nine blasts across the Gujarat capital.
August 3: A live bomb was found in the Atwalines area of Surat, taking the total number of explosive devices detected in the city to 24. The bomb was found inside a bag near a bus-stand adjacent to the municipal garden and was defused by the bomb disposal squad.
July 31: The Gujarat Police arrested four Bangladeshi nationals, including a woman, from the Gandhinagar area of capital Ahmedabad on suspicion of their involvement in the Ahmedabad bomb blasts. Sahel Sheikh, Rafiq Sheikh, Murad Malik and Khatimabibi Khalija were illegal immigrants and are suspected to have links with the Bangladesh-based HuJI-B.

With four wounded people, including two children, succumbing to their injuries the death toll in the Ahmedabad serial bombings reached 55.
July 30: Two more powerful live bombs were defused in Surat. While one live bomb was found near the Labheswar Police post, another bomb was found near the Surat Municipal Corporation-operated swimming pool. It was found hanging from a mango tree. Both the bombs were found in the same labour-dominated Varachha Road area where 10 bombs were detected on July 29.
July 29: The death toll in the serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad has risen to 53, said Government officials.
July 27: Police in Surat, the second major commercial centre in Gujarat after Ahmedabad, seized two abandoned cars - one with live explosives and another with ammunition - from different parts of the city. The cars were left abandoned at Punamgaon and Randel in the Varacha Road locality. Police said gelatine sticks, timers, ammonium nitrate powder, tiffin boxes and other material were found in one abandoned car which the locals said was lying there for a couple of days. The materials were reportedly enough to manufacture about eight to 10 powerful crude bombs, the kind of devices believed to have been used in the serial blasts. The Police also defused a huge bomb found in an abandoned bag near a hospital on the City Light Road.

Two live bombs were recovered from a garbage can near a vegetable market in the Hatkeshwar locality in Maninagar in Ahmedabad, where the first of the 17 blasts occurred on July 26-evening. Another live bomb was defused near a gate of a textile mill at Santhej on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar highway after midnight. One bomb was found and defused in Kalol, also an industrial town near Gandhinagar.

The Joint Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, Asish Bhatia, said a SIMI activist, Abdul Halim, who was wanted in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots, was arrested during the combing operation in the city.
July 26: 40 people were killed and more than 100 others injured when serial blasts struck different parts of Ahmedabad, the capital city of Gujarat. The worst attack occurred near the trauma centre of the Government civil hospital, where at least 25 people, including two doctors, were killed. Police indicated that there were 17 blasts in 10 different areas and all, except the minority-dominated Sarkhej and Juhapura, were in the labour-dominated eastern parts of the old city. Most of the blasts occurred in crowded and congested points like traffic circles, near a Hanuman temple where a large number of devotees turn out on Saturdays or near bus stops. The first blast was reported from the Hatkeshwar locality in the Maninagar area at 6.38 pm (IST). Thereafter bombs went off at 7 other places - Bapunagar, Narol, Ishanpur, Saraspur, Sarangpur, Raipur, Sarkhej, Juhaapura - all within the next five to seven minutes. About 40 minutes after the first round of blasts, bombs went off near the trauma centre of the civil hospital and the main portico of the L.G. General Hospital in Maninagar, even as the injured were being rushed to the hospitals. About an hour later, three more blasts were reported from Maninagar and surrounding areas. In a 14-page manifesto e-mailed to the media minutes before the serial bombings, an organisation calling itself the "Indian Mujahideen (IM)" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad attacks. Titled "The Rise of Jihad", the manifesto said the bombings were carried out to avenge the 2002 anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat.

2007

July 29: The Gujarat Police, probing the ISI-sponsored fake currency racket, arrested two more persons suspected to be involved in the incident. While Haneef Naviwala was arrested from Surat, Nazir Motiwala was detained at Ankleshwar. With this, the total number of arrests has gone up to 13.
July 17: The Kutch Police arrested a man in Vadodara in connection with the fake currency racket allegedly involving two ISI agents, which was neutralised last week.
July 16: The Kutch Police arrested three persons from Mumbai and one from Salaya village near Mandvi in connection with the fake currency racket allegedly involving two ISI agents, which was neutralised last week.
July 13: Gujarat Police reportedly neutralized an ISI module operating in the country to smuggle in fake currency, narcotics and arms and ammunition through the Mandvi port in the Kutch District. Six persons, including two Pakistani nationals, were arrested in this connection and they revealed that the module had already smuggled in INR 2.4 million in fake currency through Mandvi and sent it to Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. The Pakistani nationals were identified as Abdul Gaffar Qasim Chiba and Abdul Khalif Tayyab Chauhan, both residents of Bhabhobhit area in Karachi. The Indians include Mumbai-based operative Sayyed Ahmed Ali and three other Mandvi-based fishermen, Abdullah Adam Dosani, Suleman Mohammad Chauhan and Ismail Yakub Chiba. The Kutch District Superintendent of Police, Gyanendra Singh Malik, said that the group used to receive the contraband in the mid-seas off the Mandvi coast.
May 27: A cleric in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat, Tahir Maulana, was arrested and some arms and ammunition were seized from his house in the Juhapura area in connection with the May 18 Hyderabad blast. A raid was conducted at his house following a tip off from an unidentified person and also a verbal complaint by one of his wives who alleged he had kept arms and ammunition at home and was involved in 'jihadi' activities, said a senior crime branch official.
February 22: Police arrested two suspected agents of Pakistan's ISI from Bhuj. The District Superintendent of Police Gyanendrasinh Malik said Aslam and Syed Ali were arrested on the basis of information supplied by another ISI agent, Adil Anjuman, who was arrested in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, in December 2006.

Source: Compiled from English language media sources.