The Aftab Ansari And Raju Sharma Case

MS NIRUPAMA RAO: Good evening and welcome to this evening’s pressconference with R.M. Abhyankar , Special Secretary (East), Ministry ofExternal Affairs; and Neeraj Kumar , Joint Director, Central Bureau ofInvestigation.

R.M. Abhyankar : I would like to confirm that the prime accused in theattack outside the American Centre in Kolkata on 22nd January is now in CBI’scustody. I will read out a Press Release which will be distributed to you assoon as I finish reading.

"Two Indian nationals, AFTAB ANSARI @ FARHAN ALI, the prime suspect in theattack outside the American Centre in Kolkata on January 22, 2002, and hisaccomplice RAJU SHARMA @ RAJENDER KUMAR ANADKOT were arrested in Delhi today,after their deportation from Dubai. AFTAB ANSARI is wanted for complicity inother criminal acts committed at the behest of terrorist organizations based inPakistan.

Their arrest has been made possible due to the close cooperation received fromthe Dubai authorities in tracing and apprehending them. At the time ofapprehension AFTAB ANSARI was in possession of Pakistani travel documents.

The Government of India greatly appreciates cooperation and support from theDubai authorities as well as the UAE government. Shri Jaswant Singh, ExternalAffairs Minister has thanked H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Makhtoom,Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence of UAE for the exceptional gesturein keeping with the traditional friendship between the two countries and theircommitment, in line with UNSC Resolution 1373, to fight international terrorismin all its forms and manifestations. The suspects are now in CBI custody forfurther investigation."

I would like to make two additional points. The first is that this gesture onthe part of the Government of Dubai, the Government of UAE, but on the part ofthe Crown Prince of Dubai, is an exceptional gesture because these twoindividuals were deported. As you probably know, deportation is the sovereignright of any country to deport an undesirable alien. They did this on the basisof the evidence that was submitted to them.

The second point is that this entire operation, if I can call it that, has beenthe result of very intensive contact at the official and diplomatic levels aswell as at the operational levels. It started with the visit of External AffairsMinister in 2000, thereafter the visit of the Home Minister to Dubai and hismeeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed in 2001 June. After Septemberthere has been, the last September I mean, a more intense cooperation in termsof exchanging information on these suspects. And most recently was the letteraddressed by the Prime Minister to Sheikh Zayed, the President of UAE, which wascarried by Mr. Sikander Bakht who had led our Parliamentary delegation which wason the 25th of January.

I think I would like to emphasise both these points. I would be happy to takea few Question s. Thank you.

I should introduce Mr. Neeraj Kumar, Joint Director, CBI, who actually tookcustody of these suspects in Dubai and came back with the plane which broughtthem at 6 p.m. today.

Question : How many accused, how many suspects have been arrested? Are there two,or more?

Neeraj Kumar : Only two at the moment.

Question : How long ago were they arrested?

Neeraj Kumar : They were arrested on the 23rd.

R.M. Abhyankar : Let me mention that Farhan Ali or Aftab Ansari as he iscalled, as you are aware, took credit, if I can say, for the attack in Kolkatawhich was on 22nd January. So the presumption is that he has been there longbefore 22nd January.

Neeraj Kumar : As far as we are concerned, he has been handed over to usthis morning.

Question : You said that he had Pakistani travel documents. Can we assume that hehad traveled from Pakistan to Dubai?

Neeraj Kumar : No, he was traveling to Pakistan.

Question : When was he traveling to Pakistan?

Neeraj Kumar : Those are operational details which will be disclosed to youwhen you come for Press Conference being addressed by Director, CBI.

R.M. Abhyankar : I would just like to mention here the Pakistani PassportNo. which is J872142 issued in Lahore and valid up to February, 2006, in thename of Shafiq Mohammed Rana.

Question : You also have an extradition treaty with the UAE and that was not usedin bringing them back. What you are saying is that he was actually deported andfrom 23rd to today they were under the custody of the UAE authorities.

R.M. Abhyankar : We do have an extradition treaty with the UAE…

Question : When did we sign it?

R.M. Abhyankar : I am giving you the details. We have an extradition treatywith the UAE which was signed in 1999 and which was ratified in 2000. As youprobably know, extradition is a legal and judicial process which takes time.Deportation, as I mentioned, is a sovereign right and does not. When we saidthat the Government of UAE and the Dubai authorities have made an exceptionalgesture, it is exceptional in the sense that they have taken the evidence thatwe gave them and deported these two Indian nationals. I need hardly mention thatthis is what we expect Pakistan to do with those Indian nationals who are on thelist of 20 that we have handed them.

Question : You said that he was arrested on 23rd of January. The Kolkata incidenttook place on 22nd January. How soon was it coordinated? Was he wanted beforeKolkata incident took place?

Neeraj Kumar : Of course, he was wanted for a long time. He has a very longcriminal record. If you recall, he was wanted in the Partho Roy Burman casewhich took place on the 25th of July, 2001. He was also wanted in the BhaskarParekh abduction case of Rajkot. He was also wanted in a CBI case in which aconsignment of arms and ammunition and RDX were intercepted on the night between26th and 27th of October, 2001.

Question : This is in Gujarat?

Neeraj Kumar : Yes, Sankalpur in Gujarat. So, there was a long criminalhistory of this man.

Question : You said that he was carrying Pakistani travel documents. Does itstrengthen the Indian contention that the American Centre attack in Kolkata wasISI-sponsored or linked with the ISI?

R.M. Abhyankar : Yes, absolutely. I think, as Neeraj just told you, there isa presumption that he was implicated in the movement, involved in the movement,of the armaments and RDX, etc., which were seized in October last year whichcame from across the border.

Second, what is important also, is that when he was in Tihar Jail he came intoclose contact with Omar Sheikh who, as you know, is now the prime suspect in thekidnapping of Daniel Pearl.

Question : They came into contact with Omar?

R.M. Abhyankar : I mean, they were at the same time in Tihar. These are theareas which are under further investigation by the CBI.

Question : Has he admitted that American Centre in Kolkata was his prime target?

Neeraj Kumar : We are yet to interrogate him on all these points.

R.M. Abhyankar : Just for your information, he was handed over in the planeas they left Dubai at 3 p.m. according to our time and reached around 6:30 p.m.I think you will have to wait for some more information to come.

Question : Do you believe that he was the person who called up the CID personnelin Kolkata?

Neeraj Kumar : Absolutely. That he has accepted.

Question : Mr. Neeraj Kumar, as you said, at the moment there are only twosuspects in Indian custody. There were other suspects like Abu Salem but we didnot get him.

Neeraj Kumar : There has not been any official confirmation of his detentionas you know. But we do have a list of wanted people which we have shared, wehave been sharing, we have been updating and sometimes updating in real time. Ifwe get phone numbers, if we get some details of properties, some moneylaundering transactions, we pass it on. So, we are very hopeful that we getsimilar cooperation in the future as well.

Question : Have they said anything about the persons killed in Jharkhand?

Neeraj Kumar : These are all matters of further investigation.

Question : Is there any relation between Aftab Ansari and Rajender Kumar? Whatis the link?

Neeraj Kumar : Yes. The link is that they are co-conspirators, they are theco-accused. There are warrants of arrest against both Aftab Ansari as well asRajender Kumar Anadkot who has been brought back in the Bhaskar Parekh abductioncase of Rajkot. They are co-accused in a case of Varanasi in which a coalmerchant was kidnapped; and they are co-accused in several other crimes.

Question : Is there any link between the incident in Kolkata andRajender?

Neeraj Kumar : So far, no.

Question : Can you explain a little bit of what you think his connections are tothe ISI? Have the authorities in Dubai shared with you any of the things he toldwhen they were in custody? Did he confirm that he made that call in which he hasowned responsibility for the attack? What are the Pakistani travel documentsthat he was having with him?

R.M. Abhyankar : I will take the last Question first. The travel document isthe Pakistani Passport. We have the photocopies of the papers.

Some of the Questions you asked are naturally the subject of furtherinvestigation. But, as mentioned, there is a presumption of a connection withthe ISI because of his complicity in the case involving the movement of certainarmaments into India illegally as well as the presumption that there may havebeen a contact between Omar Sheikh and him.

Question : Aftab Ansari was arrested at the airport on the 23rd. What about thesecond man. Since when was he in the custody of Dubai authorities?
Neeraj Kumar : The exact dates will be told in the CBI briefing.

Question : When is the CBI briefing?

Neeraj Kumar : Soon after this.

Question : What is the motive behind the attack on the American Centre inKolkata?

Neeraj Kumar : The motive appears to be, I should say, four-fold. One is-proving to their cadres in India that if any one of them comes to grief, theywill be avenged. That is one. Two - attack at the American Centre by itself isan attack on America. Three – the timing of the attack was very significant.There were US dignitaries visiting India at that time. The fourth, and I thinkan equally important motive, was that it has brought this man to the centerstage of transnational crime. Suddenly, overnight, he had become a don as he waslabeled in some of the Indian magazines as new don who was out to compete withDawood and was out to compete with Carlos and so on. According to us, these arethe four motives.

Question : Do we have any precedence of other deportations from UAE?

R.M. Abhyankar : This is the first time it has happened since 1984.

Question : What happened in 1984?

R.M. Abhyankar : At that time some hijackers had been deported similarly.

Thank you very much. As they say, you watch the space.