VARANASI: The UP Police and its Anti-Terror Squad also swung into action following the arrest of Indian Mujahideen operative Arij Junaid by Delhi police on Wednesday.The ATS was looking for Junaid for his involvement in November 23, 2007 Kutchehri serial blasts. The cops from Bilariaganj police station also reached Junaid’s residence in Nasirpur area in Azamgarh district.The special cell of Delhi Police succeeded in nabbing Junaid. With the arrival of this news here, the Varanasi field unit of ATS swung into action. The ATS said that Junaid is an accused in November 23, 2007 Kutchehri blasts and the agency was searching for him.The SO Bilariaganj Vijay Prakash Yadav said that after confirmation of Junaid’s arrest he visited his parental house to get whereabouts of his other family members. During this exercise of police, it came to light that after the demise of his father eight years ago Junaid’s mother and one brother had started living in a rental house in city area while other brother stayed in Delhi. Only Junaid’s uncle dwells at their parental house in Nasirpur. Junaid had last visited his family in August 2008. The family claims that they were not in contact nor had his whereabouts but they did not lodge any case of missing with police.IM’s presence in this region was felt when its modules executed plans on November 23, 2007 (Kuchehri blasts) and on December 7, 2010 when they exploded a bomb on old Dasaswamedh Ghat. This was the time when areas like Sanjarpur in Azamgarh earned notoriety as ATS and other investigation agencies of different states found that a large number of IM ultras, who were involved in terrorist blasts in different parts of the country, belonged to this area.The strong base of IM in Azamgarh district was exposed when the Delhi Police eliminated two IM ultras during Batla House encounter in September 2008, while some others were arrested after the incident. Delhi Police announced reward on seven other ultras including Dr Shahnawaz, Bada Sajid, Salman and Khalid of Sanjarpur, Arij Junaid, Dr Asad Ullah Akhtar and Mirza Shadab Beg, who managed to escape from Batla House during encounter with police.

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