HUJI module busted in Lucknow; two arrested

Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday busted a module of the banned Bangladesh-based militant outfit, Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HUJI), and arrested its two members in Lucknow.

Lucknow, June 23 : Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday busted a module of the banned Bangladesh-based militant outfit, Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HUJI), and arrested its two members in Lucknow.

Automatic rifles, pistols and a large quantity of ammunition were seized from their possession.

"We have recovered one AK-47 rifle, one Chinese made pistol, nine kilograms of RDX and 20 hand grenades. Besides this, two magazines of AK-47, several chargers, 60 cartridges of AK-47, 10 detonators and four alarms, watches and battery operated timers meant to carry out explosions," G L Sharma, Uttar Pradesh Police Chief, told reporters.

He said both men confessed to have received training in Pakistan and had planned to carry out bomb blasts across the State.

On Thursday, police had nabbed two other militants connected to the outfit, on interrogation they revealed the names of the two militants arrested today.

"Two operatives Yaqub and Nasir had been arrested two days ago - from whom we had recovered RDX - they gave us the names of the two people we have arrested today. With their arrest, we have captured the entire gang of four people out to cause terror in the State," Sharma said.

HUJI, which follows the Deoband sect, has been active in Uttar Pradesh for last four years and has been blamed for attacks in recent years across India, including an unsuccessful attempt on the controversial Ram temple in nearby Ayodhya and carrying out a recent bomb blast at a historic Mecca mosque in Hyderabad.

ANI