Faisal Hasan Mirza, arrested by the state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on May 10 for allegedly plotting a terror attack after taking arms training in Pakistan, was allegedly called to Sharjah as a carrier for gold smuggling by a distant relative, Farooq Davediwala, before he was sent for training, the police said.
Davediwala, who is accused in a bomb blast case in Gujarat, is a close associate of gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel, and handles their business of recruiting candidates for terror camps in Pakistan as well as gold smuggling.
A police source said that for past many months, Mirza was in constant touch with Davediwala, who knew that Mirza was struggling financially. In January, Mirza was lured with money and sent to Sharjah for an assignment — smuggling gold to India.
But when he got there, he was "brainwashed" by Davediwala for a week and then sent to Pakistan for terror training, the ATS said. He was sent back to India and asked to stand by till further orders.
"Davediwala operates a gold smuggling syndicate and recruits Indian youths as carriers. However, he later tries to convince them to go for terror training in Pakistan. He is luring youths from poor families with cash," said an ATS officer. When Mirza was in Pakistan, he was trained for suicide bombing and lone-wolf attacks, the officer said.
WHAT THE SQUAD SAYS
- Faisal Hasan Mirza, arrested on May 10, was first sent to Sharjah by a Dawood confidante to smuggle gold into India
- While there, he was brainwashed and sent to Pakistan to receive training at a terror camp.
