New Delhi, April 27: Cap. may 2 mama ko fida... kerna zaruri hain. Rajbir Singh, ACP, Ravi Shanker, ACP. 50% DP end. (Cap: Capital, DP: Delhi Police).
Sender Sufi alias Aftab Ahmed Ansari.
February 15, 2003. 19:23 hrs.

THIS was the SMS message sent by underworld don Aftab Ahmed Ansari to one of his aides directing him to eliminate two ACPs of Delhi police while he was in custody at Presidency Jail, Kolkata, while in custody. And, this is how the don ran his gang from the confines of his cell.

The recovery of a cellphone from the high-security cell on February 24, 2003, created a furore with the Delhi Police bringing Ansari here for questioning. The phone was recovered by Kolkata Police and a case was registered.

The cryptic message in question was sent by Ansari to Amir Raza Khan in Dubai, directing him to eliminate the two ACPs of Delhi Police. Ansari had been in touch not only with his associates from inside the high security cell but his relatives too. The mobile was given to him by Roop Lal, a jail warden for Rs 4,000.

Ansari disclosed during interrogation by the Delhi Police that he used to send and receive SMSs and calls from Amir, brother of Ansari’s former associate Asif Raza Khan who was shot dead by the Gujarat Police.

He had mentioned a message from Amir where he had asked him for the names of policemen responsible for his brother’s killing. As Ansari was not aware of the names of the Gujarat policemen, he messaged Amir that it would be better to eliminate the two ACPs and if this was accomplished, 50 per cent of the force would be finished.

Ansari and six others convicted in the January 22, 2002 Kolkata American Center attack case were today sentenced to death by a local court. The Delhi Police Crime Branch, which had played a major role in solving the case, was happy with the verdict.

Much before the attack, Crime Branch had started work in May, 2001, on information that underworld elements had joined hands with militant outfits. In the following months, the police arrested 13 militants and shot dead two in an encounter, unearthing Ansari’s conspiracy to kidnap Sachin Tendulkar for ransom, kidnap Sourav Ganguly and demand the release of Lashkar militant Mohammed Amir Khan, lodged in Tihar jail.

DELHI COPS ON THE JOB
Oct 29, 2001: Crime Branch arrested Asif Raza Khan, Anita Das and Arshad Khan with arms and ammunition. Asif turned out to be main coordinator of anti-India activities along with Ansari and Omar Sheikh.
Jan 28, 2002: Crime Branch and Hazari Bagh police shot dead two Pak-trained militants, Mohammed Idris and Mohammed Salim, in Hazari Bagh involved in the American Center attack.
Jan 29: Cops arrested 3 Pak terrorists from Nizamuddin Rly Stn with arms. They led cops to three HuJI militants, arrested on February 2.
Feb 15: Cops arrested militants Munshi Asad, Inamul Haq and Hussain Ahmed, in Surat. These led to further arrests, Mufti Asrar was held on February 16 from Saharanpur