A Unani doctor's deadly prescription

NEW DELHI: As per information available with intelligence agencies, Shahnawaj Alam is in his thirties and among the most dreaded terrorists wanted by India.
A founding member of Indian Mujahideen, the ambitious "Unani doctor" from Sarjanpur in Uttar Pradesh formed his own outfit, Ansar Ud Tawhid Bilal Al Hind. His brother Atif Amin was killed in the Batla House encounter.
Alam, who carries a reward of Rs 10 lakh, initially came across as a suave, educated gentleman, say sources, quoting interaction of nabbed associates with him. The website of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) shows a photograph of a young man wearing a neat blue shirt and a tie. Now, sources say, he sports a beard and wears a Pathani suit.
House No. 240 at Sarjanpur in Azamgarh is his last-known address. Son of "mister", as his father Shahdab Akhtar is popularly called, the villagers recall how he mysteriously disappeared in September 2008, a day after the Batla House encounter. In his mid-20s when he co-founded the IM, Alam went on to head the notorious Azamgarh module.
As per the dossier on him, Alam is an expert in making improvised explosive devices and held a crucial post in IM as he was also its connect with SIMI. He was tasked with indoctrinating many youths into the outfit. After the Batla House encounter, Alam is learnt to have crossed over to Nepal with other IM members and ISI helped them procure forged passports. He took a flight to Sharjah where he met other IM members like Iqbal Bhatkal, his brother Riyaz Bhatkal and Amir Reza Khan.
Alam rented a flat in Sharjah where a crucial meeting was held in 2009. Herein, Iqbal Bhatkal was accepted as the group's leader for operations against India. From Sharjah, the outfit soon shifted base to Karachi where they began to work under the direct guidance of ISI.
Since then Alam has been a key player in orchestrating several terrors strikes.