One of the most wanted terrorists of the banned organization SIMI, involved in the conspiracy of the 2002-03 bombings at three locations in Mumbai, has been arrested in Canada. The terrorist has been identified as Cheneparambil Mohammed Basheer, alias CAM Basheer, who was one of the top terrorists of the banned organization SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India). The terrorist was caught while attempting to leave Canada based on an RCN (Red Corner Notice) issued by Interpol. The RCN against Basheer was issued for the 2002-03 bomb blast case. He has been charged with murder, conspiracy in terrorism cases, among other offenses.
Last week, the police approached a special court for permission to collect blood samples from Basheer’s sister, who lives in Ernakulam. The blood samples were being taken for DNA profiling to confirm Basheer’s identity in the ongoing extradition process initiated by Mumbai Police. The RCN against Basheer was issued for the December 2002 Mumbai Central Station blast, the January 2003 Vile Parle blast, and the March 2003 Mulund train blast. A total of 12 people were killed in these explosions, while many others were seriously injured. These attacks were allegedly carried out by a SIMI module, funded and executed by Basheer.
Basheer is a native of Kaprassery village in Kerala. He was born in 1961 and holds a diploma in aeronautical engineering. He had been actively working with SIMI since the early 1980s and later became a terrorist for the organization in Kerala. Sources stated that he was involved in radicalizing several youths, inspiring them to join SIMI and carry out terrorist activities. During some public events, he also made statements about Kashmiri Muslims targeting other religions.
Agencies have also claimed that Basheer was part of ISI’s K2 (Kashmir and Khalistan) plan to carry out terrorist activities in the states of Kashmir and Punjab. In the early 1990s, he traveled to Pakistan and received terrorist training from ISI. He was in contact with ISI to recruit individuals for terrorist training in Pakistan and carrying out attacks in India. He has been an operator for various other terrorists and was also involved in blasts in Bengaluru and other locations.
Officials stated that Basheer was also linked to Indian Mujahideen and had been operating from Middle Eastern countries for a long time. Investigations are ongoing to determine how and when he arrived in Canada, but Basheer had maintained a low profile since 2011. In the 2011 Most Wanted list, Basheer was among India’s top 50 most wanted individuals. Mumbai’s Special Court has granted permission to Unit 6 of the Mumbai Crime Branch to collect blood samples from Basheer’s sister in Ernakulam.
