NIA collects evidence from Saifullah's home

LUCKNOW: An 18-member National Investigation Agency (NIA) team collected forensic evidence from the house in Haji Colony in Dubagga on Thursday where terror suspect Saifullah was gunned down on March 7.
The agency had taken over the case on Tuesday. NIA team led by inspector general Anil Shukla was accompanied by forensic experts from CFSL Chandigarh. Shukla is posted in Delhi and is also supervising the probe in rail sabotage incidents.The team spent more than three hours on the site, rummaging through the items in the room.
Material evidence gathered by ATS has already been handed over to NIA. "The NIA team is trying to lift fingerprint impressions and DNA profiles to prepare for prosecution of the arrested members of the terror module," said IG, UP ATS, Asim Arun who assisted the team. Forensic experts are trying to find traces of explosives besides looking for skin cell, hair shaft or saliva. An NIA officer said they searched for combs apart from cigarette butts and chewing gum. The team also found a cardboard box of bullet shells and part of a bullet which may be of use in developing fingerprint samples.
NIA team will also visit a house on Campbell Road in Thakurganj where Saifullah and his aides had briefly stayed before shifting to Haji Colony. Thursday's inspection was interrupted for a short while. "Residue of a chilli bomb, which was used in the operation, spread out in the air during inspection and everybody started coughing," said an officer. Acting on a tip-off by MP police, ATS eliminated Saifullah after a 12-hour operation. Saifullah's aides, Syed Meer Hussain, Atif and Danish, who also stayed at Haji Colony house, were arrested in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly carrying out the Bhopal- Ujjain train blast on March 7.
The UP ATS had also arrested the mastermind of the module, retired air force staffer Ghaus Moahmmad Khan, who allegedly indoctrinated the group of four into terror activities along with two accomplices Faisal and Azhar. All the six Kanpur residents had assembled at the Haji Colony house to plan. Three gunrunners were also arrested in the crackdown.