Bilal, India's most wanted terrorist, alive and well

DEAD MAN WALKING? Last month, Pak had claimed Bilal had been killed in an inter-gang fight.

J & K | Chhattisgarh | Delhi | MP |
Mizoram | Rajasthan

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

26/11: Terror comes precariously close

Featured Slideshows

New Delhi: Mumbai 7/11, Delhi 20/10, Samjhuata Express blast, Mecca Masjid attack, Hyderabad twin blasts, Ajmer Sharif blast — in all these cases, terror struck at will.

And one prime suspect emerged, 27-year-old Mohammad Abdul Shahid alias Bilal. He is suspected to be involved in at least four of these attacks.

There was much relief for the intelligence agencies following reports that Bilal, the commander of Harkat-ul-Jehadi-e-Islami, was killed in a shootout in Karachi last month.

But contrary to these reports, this terror mastermind is very much alive and well. Intelligence sources have confirmed to CNN-IBN that Bilal was sighted only last week in Sialkot, close to the international border.

Bilal is suspected to have arrived in the heavily garrisoned town controlled by the Pakistani Army around October 6. Prior to that, he was seen at his base in Karachi, but suddenly moved north.

Sources say he was planning to cross over to Jammu, but Ludhiana blasts made him change his plans.

Intelligence sources say its unlikely Bilal was involved in the Ludhiana attack, because what sets him apart is his modus operandi - he uses SIM cards and mobile phones as IEDs.

The Karachi-based south India commander of the Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami has a loyal following in his hometown Hyderabad.

But Bilal is suspect No. 1 on the list the Government handed over to Pakistan at the recent meeting of the anti-terror mechanism in Delhi. Intelligence sources have dismissed reports from Pakistan that Bilal was killed during an inter-gang clash in Karachi early in September.

With the heat on, Bilal has reportedly been advised by his handlers across the border to lie low. But that doesn't reduce the worries of the security establishment in New Delhi.

For where ever he is, India or Pakistan, he continues to remain a bomb ticking away.

To read IBNLive stories on mobile, log on to m.ibnlive.com on your mobile browser