Viqaruddin was mastermind of attacks on police

Hyderabad, April 7: Viqaruddin, who along with four associates was gunned down by police while trying to escape in Telangana's Warangal district on Tuesday, was the most wanted terror operative before his arrest in 2010. He was the mastermind of sensational attacks on policemen in different parts of Hyderabad between 2008 and 2010 and had kept the entire force on tenterhooks for long. Hailing from Malakpet area in the city, Viqaruddin was influenced by Shahid Bilal, a terror operative from the city linked to many terror attacks over last few years and believed to have been killed in Pakistan. Viquaruddin and his followers were involved in at least three attacks on police, killing two men and injuring some others. The attacks were carried out to coincide with the anniversaries of 2007 bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid. Acording to police, Viqaruddin was initially associated with the Darsgah Jihad-O-Shahadat (DJS), a religious fundamentalist organisation. Following differences with DJS leaders, he formed the Tehreek Ghalba-e-Islam to carry out attacks in different states. He was also allegedly plotting to assassinate then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and other Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders. In 2011, Viqaruddin and other accused shifted out of the high-security Cherlapally prison here after they thrashed a jail official. Hot-blooded Viqaruddin continued to give sleepless nights to prison staff in Warangal Central Jail. He used to pick up frequent fights with jail staff over food and other facilities. For last 10 days they were being daily transported between Warangal and Hyderabad, and Tuesday was just another day when they were being brought to be produced before a court in Hyderabad. Police said Viqaruddin and his associates tried to flee by snatching weapon from a policeman in the vehicle when it had stopped to enable the accused to attend nature's call. Police claimed that in the scuffle they opened fire, killing all the accused.