Chennai: Tamil Nadu ‘Q’ branch police, which deals with extremist issues, has scored a significant victory in its war against Islamic terror that has been showing up with increased frequency across the state. Sri Lankan Tamil Muslim Sakir Hussain, arrested by the ‘Q’ cops here on April 29, has named two officers in the Pakistan high commission in Colombo as his main handlers and confessed that he had been collecting documents, photographs and videos of sensitive installations, including the Vizag and Kochi naval bases, and the diplomatic missions of the US in Chennai and Israel in Bengaluru, a senior officer said.
He said Hussain has identified the Pakistani officers as Shah aka Boss and Ameer Zubaire Siddique. In fact, Siddique had been already named as a handler by Thamim Ansari, a Tamil Nadu resident, after he was picked up in a joint operation by the Q and IB, the Central intelligence agency, just before he was to board the Tiruchy-Colombo flight in September 2012. That arrest led to the alleged recovery of digital dossiers and photos relating to the nuclear power installations, defence offices and even the defence training academy in Nilgiris. The ‘Q’ police detained Ansari under the NSA but a court ordered his release.
“We have been following on some leads relating to activity from our neighbouring country in the south”, said a senior officer requesting anonymity.
