2010 Jama Masjid firing: IM operative who sent terror mail taken into custody

MUMBAI: The Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC) on Friday took a suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, Ejaz Shaikh, (28), in custody for allegedly sending a terror email after the September 19, 2010 firing and blast outside the Jama Masjid. Two Taiwanese were injured in the firing. Shaikh, allegedly used a mobile phone and sent the mail from near Mumbai's Manish Market area.
Shaikh was first arrested on Setpember 6, 2014, from outside Saharanpur Railway Station in western Uttar Pradesh by a team of Delhi Police's Special Cell. Later, he was taken into custody by the Maharashtra ATS for his alleged role of providing logistic support in the 2010 Pune German Bakery bomb blast case. He was in jail and from there the CCIC took him in custody in connection with the terror email case. In the Jama Masjid firing case, the Special Cell had earlier arrested suspected IM operatives, Qateel Siddiqui, Yasin Bhatkal, his father in-law Irshad Ahmed and several others.
"Much before the Delhi terror strike, IM's global chief Riyaz Bhatkal, who is reportedly hiding in Pakistan, had sent the draft of the terror email to Shaikh. After the firing and bomb blast, Shaikh used a mobile phone to send the terror email to several media houses," said a police officer, adding that even the IM's Indian chief, Yasin Bhatkal, now behind bar, was unaware about the person who had actually sent the email. Police had earlier claimed that a resident of Pune in Maharashtra, Sheikh was 'silent' India-based techie, logistics man and hawala router of the banned outfit.
An offence was registered in Mumbai after the city cops found the origin of the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the mail in Mumbai. He has been booked under various sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000.