"Gifts from the Gulf" continues....

Since the truck had a head start over our men, it took some time before they caught up with the miscreants’ vehicle.

After five kilometers, when the miscreants saw their pursuers closing in on them, the truck jerked to an abrupt halt. Its occupants, four in number, jumped off and fled into the thorny shrubbery of the sparse landscape. The CBI boys followed them, despite the alien and hostile terrain, undaunted until they reached atop a ‘bandh’ (small embankment). The miscreants were nowhere to be seen despite the advantage of the elevation of the embankment. The local police was informed, their help taken and the entire area combed, but to no avail. They had lost the smugglers and had no option but to return, a dejected lot, to the truck parked on the highway.

A search of the truck led to the discovery of two military kit bags hidden between the driver’s and the cleaner’s seats. Two AK-56 assault rifles with 524 rounds of ammunition, 2 pistols, 296 pistol cartridges, 6 pistol magazines, detonators, fuses, remotes for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), wireless sets and four kilograms of explosives were found hidden in the kitbags. The cache of arms, ammunition and explosives were enough to carry out scores of terror attacks and other serious crimes.

Besides the deadly consignment, the couriers, to our good fortune, left behind enough clues for us to chase them down. Registration papers of the truck showed its ownership in the name of one Yunus Khan, a resident of Alwar in Rajasthan. A few mobile numbers were found randomly scrawled on dirty soiled papers lying in the glove-compartment.

Analysis of the call details of these cell phones led us to a property dealer with his office in Jaitpur, South Delhi. He confirmed having received calls from mobile number 98102-xxxxx found in the truck. The number, he said, belonged to one Ashabuddin, who had purchased a plot of land through him. Further, Ashabuddin was likely to meet him in a day or two to close the deal.

To be continued....