Click to play videoIndore: The significance of the recent SIMI leadership arrest in Indore is becoming clear. Leader of the Opposition L K Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi were on the top of their hit list.
What compounds the problem is that they were no longer going across the borders to train. These days, terror is homegrown, in camps in the interiors of Madhya Pradesh.
Inspector General of Ujjain, M P Dwivedi says, "They have arms training and an entire schedule for training.''
As of now, six different teams have come to interrogate the SIMI members who were arrested. This is a difficult task as most of the documents are in codes.
The BJP leaders may be targets, but all the plots are not being hatched in the northern states. SIMI's growing clout in the south is a cause for concern, say intelligence officials.
- Almost half of SIMI's cadre now comes from the south.
- Northern Kerala and Karnataka are emerging bases for SIMI's sleeper cells
- At least 12 front organistions of SIMI are banned in Kerala
Those arrested include SIMI's southern India chief. Also SIMI's 2006 meet led by the moderates was held in northern Kerala.
DIG Madhya Pradesh, Anil Kumar Singh says, "They are dedicated, religious and hardened criminals. They think that if they are killed, they will go to straight to Allah.''
In its defence, SIMI says the arrests are a ploy to justify the ban re-imposed by the Centre. A notification to this effect has been issued last month by North Bloc.
(With inputs from Meetu Jain in New Delhi)
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