"Gifts from the Gulf" continues...

Eventually, a ransom of Rs. 4 crores was paid to Ansari by ‘hawala’ from Hyderabad. Burman was released after eight days of captivity and left on the roadside in Dum Dum area, several kilometers away from his Salt Lake residence. A fact elatively unknown is that part of the ransom money collected in this case was used in funding the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. A sum of Rs 49 lakhs was given by Aftab to Omar Sheikh who passed it on to Mohammad Atta, the mastermind behind the terror attack. This fact was mentioned in the testimony of John S. Pistole, Deputy Assistant Director, Counter Terrorism Division, FBI before the Senate Committee on Terrorist Financing in July 2003.

Aftab also narrated how the attack on the American Centre in Kolkata was planned and executed, primarily to avenge the killing of Asif Raza Khan by the Gujarat Police. It was also meant to send a message to the USA and was timed to coincide with FBI Chief’s visit. Both he and Asif’s younger brother Amir Raza Khan had collaborated with their gang members in India to carry out
the terror attack in the name of Asif Raza Khan Commando Force. This outfit was later to become the Indian Mujahideen which continues to trouble the Indian law enforcement agencies till date. While Aftab is lodged in Alipore Jail in Kolkata, Amir Raza Khan continues to run the affairs of Indian Mujahideen from Pakistan.
Aftab confessed to have called Rajeev Kumar, the then Special Superintendent of Police (CID),
West Bengal and Amrit Bazar Patrika, a local newspaper of Kolkata soon after the attack on the American Centre.

________________________
The flying time between Dubai and Delhi whizzed by, thanks to my engaging conversation with
Aftab. Raju Anadkat, meanwhile was being interrogated by my other colleagues on board. We
were soon flying over Delhi awaiting clearance to land. When our Gulfstream touched down at Delhi, with the aircraft still taxiing, I switched my mobile on. Almost instantaneously, it began to ring.

To be continued...