The Delhi Police has arrested a suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist, Ariz Khan. He was on the run since the 2008 Batla House encounter, a senior officer said on Wednesday.
As per media reports, Ariz Khan was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell Khan from near the India-Nepal border, when he came to meet an old contact. The 32-year-old bomb maker had helped put together bombs that killed at least 165 people between 2007 and 2008 in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Uttar Pradesh and Jaipur.
Khan was present at Batla House, along with four others, and had managed to escape during the encounter on 19 September, 2008 in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, in which two Indian Mujahideen terrorists were killed and as many arrested. After evading police in Batla House he went to Nepal and acquired a Nepali citizenship card and passport in the name of Salim.
Encounter specialist and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the police action, was also killed during the operation.
A trial court here in 2013 July had sentenced Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the Batla House encounter case. His appeal against the trial court’s verdict has been pending in the high court.