Alleged terror suspect nabbed in Moradabad

BAREILLY: An alleged terror suspect linked to Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba was arrested from Mugalpura in Moradabad on Thursday evening with fake documents, police said. The accused had been charged under Prevention of Terror Activities (POTA) Act in the past too, they claimed.

“We have arrested Farhan Ahmed, a native of Siddharth Nagar district, with fake Indian passport and other documents. He was arrested from his rented house in Barbalan locality under Mugalpur police station,” said senior superintendent of police, Moradabad Preetinder Singh. “He is being interrogated by a special police team”.

According to police, Farhan visited Kuwait using the fake passport in July last year. He remained there for a month.

Police have registered a fresh case against Farhan and charged him with possessing fake documents and cheating.

Police sources said Farhan was arrested by Delhi Police in 2007 and charged under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

He served a jail term before being released on bail in 2009. Considering the charges, his passport was cancelled and he was barred from going abroad. But, according to Moradabad police, he managed to procure a fake passport and used it to travel abroad.

He reportedly shifted to Moradabad in 2011 and lived in various localities before renting a house in Barbalan locality in 2013. The landlord said Farhan lived with his wife.

“He told me he owned a brick kiln in Dhampur, Bijnor. He and his wife were very reserved,” said the landlord on condition of anonymity.

Police teams have recovered Farhan’s mobile phones and his laptop which have been sent to the IT cell for data recovery.

Farhan’s wife was also detained by the police and released after brief interrogation. A police team also interrogated the present landlord and visited places where Farhan had lived earlier.

“We are coordinating with Delhi and Siddharth Nagar police in the matter,” said the SSP .