NIA declares Rs 2 lakh reward on 'missing' Delhi Police informer

NEW DELHI: Three days before it is expected to tell the court to discharge Liyaqat Ali Shah from what it considered a framed-up terror case, the NIA has declared a reward of Rs 2 lakh on an alleged informer of Delhi Police Special Cell who is accused of planting weapons and ammunition in a Jama Masjid guest house to implicate him.

NIA on Friday also released the photograph of Sabir Khan Pathan, who has been missing for over two years. "NIA could tell the court on Monday to discharge Shah from the case. NIA's charge-sheet in January has already requested he should be discharged," a MHA official said. NIA has termed Pathan – a resident of Madhya Pradesh – as a "an informer cum follower" of the Special Cell. Shah's discharge could be a big embarrassment for Delhi Police who arrested Shah claiming he was coming from PoK to do terror strikes in Delhi.

There has been no action so far on NIA's recommendation in January to take disciplinary action against nine officers of the Special Cell for allegedly framing Shah in the case. NIA Chief Sharad Kumar told ET that the agency "had heard nothing" from any quarter on its recommendations. "I cannot off-hand recall if any action has been taken," Delhi Police Commissioner B.S Bassi told ET.

NIA says Pathan exchanged 141 calls with eight Special Cell officers between January and March 2013.