Indian Mujahideen founder and accused in 2008 Gujarat blasts Abdul Subhan Qureshi held in Ghazipur after brief encounter

The Delhi police arrested the founding member of the Indian Mujahideen Abdul Subhan Qureshi after a brief encounter in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, officers from the Special Cell told the media on Monday. The encounter took place on Saturday. Qureshi used to be a SIMI operative, media reports said. Qureshi was under the radar of the intelligence agencies for his involvement in the 2008 serial blasts in Gujarat, The Times of India reported. “A three-member special team of the Delhi Police was following his movement. On Saturday, we came to know that he was going to meet his old associate in Ghazipur. After a brief encounter, we arrested him,” Pramod Kushwah, DCP, Special Cell told mediapersons. According to the report, his cropped up after the Gujarat Police in 2008 found an email from the Indian Mujahideen, which claimed responsibility for the attack. [caption id=“attachment_4313955” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Indian Mujahideen founder Abdul Qureshi. Video screengrab[/caption] According to India Today, Qureshi is also suspected to be involved in Delhi, Bengaluru attacks along with the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, which killed over 200 people. Kushwah told mediapersons that Qureshi alias “Tauqeer” fled India and was living in Nepal and Saudi Arabia for a few years before coming back to India. “He came to India after he realised that most of the leadership of SIMI was killed in action or were arrested by intelligence agencies. He wanted to revive Indian Mujahideen in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh,” Kushwah added. According to India Today, Qureshi was carrying a bounty of four lakh rupees on his head. On Qureshi being called “ India’s Bin Laden” by a section of the media, Kushwaha remarked, “I have read it on Wikipedia, never heard anyone else saying so.” Qureshi is also wanted by the NIA for organising terror camps in Kerala, where recruits were given physical and psychological training to mislead investigators, Kushwah said. A techie known for his expertise in making bombs, Qureshi worked for top IT firms before he was recrutied by the SIMI in 1998, The Times of India reported.