Khwaja's key target was Chennai, says IB

As the interrogation of self-styled Harkat-ul-Jihadi commander, progresses, the Hyderabad police have stumbled on vital clues regarding his sinister plans for South India. Khwaja, it is learnt, has told the police that his main target was Chennai and the purpose behind his visit to India was also to recruit more youth for terror operations.

Khwaja, being grilled by both the Intelligence Bureau and the Hyderabad police, is said to have confessed that he had recruited several youth in the past from both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and sent them to Bangladesh and Pakistan to train in terror operations. He also said that he had come down specifically to target Chennai from where he was picked up.

He said his key targets were the oil refineries in Chennai and Hyderabad and planned on undertaking the operation on Republic Day. He also told his interrogators that terror groups were planning to make an impact in Chennai since this city has been out of the radar for quite some time. He said that almost all important cities in India had been targeted and hence they wanted to plan something for Chennai.