Cops verifying Batla escapee claim about Cong, RJD leaders

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police was on Friday verifying arrested Indian Mujahideen terror suspect Shahzad Alam's disclosure that a RJD MLA, a Congress leader and Mumbai-based politico helped him after he escaped from the Jamia Nagar area during the Batla House encounter.

Shahzad’s claims were made during the course of his interrogation by the Delhi Police. Wary of its fallout, cops were trying to cross-check his claims.

According to Shahzad, after escaping from Batla House, he found refuge in a RJD MLA's house in Noida. With the police and intelligence agencies hot on his heels, he claimed he was subsequently provided shelter and financial help by a Congress leader from Bihar and a Mumbai-based politician.

Facing questions on party general secretary Digvijay Singh’s visit to Azamgarh to meet families of IM activists killed during the Batla House shootout, the claim that one of its leaders had helped one of the accused may come as a blow to Congress. The episode could damage the ruling party’s credentials on taking terrorists head-on.

Shahzad, who was arrested in Azamgarh by the Uttar Pradesh ATS, and handed over to the Delhi Police on Monday was brought to the Capital on Tuesday. Since then, he has been subjected to sustained interrogation by sleuths belonging to the Delhi Police and IB.

He recounted how he and Ariz, aka Junaid, planned their escape from the Batla House in the middle of the shootout. The duo were in another room when the firing commenced at L-18 Batla House. They used the same staircase to flee from the venue which had been minutes earlier been used by the police personnel to go up. All this while, they kept yelling that were innocent residents.

After executing their escape plan, they hired an autorickshaw to Noida, where they were given refuge by a RJD legislator. They then left for Azamgarh, via Aligarh and Lucknow, according to Shahzad.