Moutasim Billa denies links with arrested SIMI activists from Maharashtra

Hyderabad: Moutasim Billah, an alleged former SIMI member denied allegations that he had links with Shah Mudassir and Shoeb Ahmed Khan, two men from Maharashtra whom the Hyderabad police arrested claiming that they were planning to leave for Afghanistan to receive training from Al Qaeda.

He said the police had been harassing him since the last 10 years and making false allegations.

Billah, an M.Tech second year student of OU, said that around 10 years ago his elder brother Mujahid Saleem Azmi was shot by the Gujarat police on a busy road in Hyderabad and the cops instead of arresting the killers helped them to reach their state safe.

Moulana Abdul Aleem Islahi, an Islamic scholar and Billah’s father said, “The cops didn’t arrest the killers. Instead they slapped an attempt to murder case against Billah and some others. They had been harassing us and filed false cases against him. We suffered a lot. He lost several years of his studies.”

Whenever any untoward incident occurs in the city, cops always try to link it to Billah. He was never a member of SIMI. He was just 14 when it was banned, he added.

The verdict on the attempt to murder case against Billah is expected by the end of the month.

The cops are coming out with new stories to influence the court, Mr Islahi said. Clarifying on the cops claim of recovering a book written by him titled Jihad Kya Hai, Mr Islahi asked the cops to produce a copy of the book.

Moutasim Billah said that he did not have even a bike to go to college and from where could he give financial help to terror groups.

“I have no vehicle of my own. I’m unable to pay college fees. I have no money to give to them,” he said. Answering a question from cops saying that he was absconding, Moutasin said, “I am at home and keep going to college. I haven’t absconded.”

Read: Youngsters planning to join Al-Qaeda held in Hyderabad

Meanwhile, city police commissioner Mahender Reddy said that based on evidence, the two suspects, who were arrested by the Gopalapuram police on Wednesday, will be remanded.

When asked about Moutasim Billah’s involvement in the case he said the police can arrest him if they have evidence.

The duo was arrested when they allegedly came to Hyderabad to meet their financier Moutasim Billah, a former SIMI member, who promised them to a visa.

Police arrested them when they got down at the Secunderabad railway station. The police said they recovered Jihadi literature and material on explosives from them.

They were active in social networking sites with several Facebook accounts and used them to propagate violent jihad, police said.

During Facebook chats they came in contact with Abu Saif and Kamaran Sha from Pakistan and Zahid Al Hindi from Afghanistan.

Once, Kamaran Sha shared literature on explosives through Facebook in which three methods of making explosives using easily available chemicals was explained. He motivated both of them to manufacture bombs and carry out attacks in Maharashtra.

Read: Moutasim Billa was named by arrested men says Telangana police

The duo also came in contact with Mir Shoukath, Sameer Khan and former SIMI member Moutasim Billah from Saidabad.

Officials said that they also motivated the duo to wage war against the country.

Officials said Moutasim encouraged them to go to Afghanistan to get training from Al-Qaeda in order to wage Jihad in India to establish an Islamic state.

Moutasim even said that he will extend financial support for visa processing, police said.