This Article is From Feb 23, 2013

Kolkata Police had Indian Mujahideen mastermind Yasin Bhatkal, let him go

Kolkata Police had Indian Mujahideen mastermind Yasin Bhatkal, let him go

A CCTV camera shot of Yasin Bhatkal

Kolkata: One of India's most-wanted men, Yasin Bhatkal, was arrested by the Special Task Force in Kolkata in 2008, but his real identity remained unknown, and he was released after some months in jail, sources said.

Yasin co-founded the Indian Mujahideen (IM), reportedly with the support of Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The IM is suspected of direct and indirect links to a series of terror attacks in India In recent years.

Yasin Bhatkal was arrested on the basis of a tip-off from the Intelligence Bureau for a case involving large amounts of fake currency.

He furnished a voter identity card that was in an assumed name with an address in Bihar.

When Kolkata police cross-checked with Bihar officials, the name and address were established as genuine.

It's likely Yasin Bhatkal had stolen someone else's identity, sources said.

After spending some months in Alipore jail, Yasin Bhatkal was released on bail.

In 2010, IM terrorists arrested by the same Special Task Force in Kolkata revealed that their leader had been arrested and released by the cops.
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