New Delhi: Yasin Bhatkal made a phone call to his wife last month from a jail in Hyderabad, saying he will be out soon with the help from Damascus. He is the co-founder of banned terror group Indian Mujahideen.
The phone call by Bhatkal to his wife Zahida was allegedly made from an official phone in the high security Cherlapally Jail, and was intercepted by security agencies about a month ago. The call hints at him getting help from the Islamic State, which controls large swathes of territory in both Syria and Iraq.
VK Singh, Director General, Telangana Prisons, however, denied the possibility of using mobile phones from inside the jail — a high special security cell, always guarded by a security guard.
He said if Yasin spoke about getting help from Damascus or was planning to run away from the jail through the official phone, then maybe he was trying to mislead the police as he knows that the phone is being recorded.
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“There is no question of anybody talking from inside a jail (from a cellphone)… Yasin Bhatkal has been talking to his wife through court permission from our authorized phone. Such conversation is always recorded and made available to the investigating agency,” Mr Singh said.
Quick Recap
Yasin Bhatkal was arrested from Bihar in 2013 by the National Investigation Agency. He was the key conspirator of three powerful blasts which ripped through crowded areas in Mumbai – Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and Kabutar Khana – on July 13, 2011, killing at least 21 people and injuring 141.
Bhatkal, 32, has permission granted by a court to use the official phone inside the Hyderabad prison. He can talk twice a week to family members. The names and phone numbers of his relatives are registered.