Along with two family members and friend, she gathered maps,
photographs for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was planning a terror attack in
Mumbai
It has come to light that Laila Khan — the Bollywood starlet who has
been missing since last year — recced Mumbai in 2011 along with her
stepfather, sister and a family friend, and provided maps and
photographs
from the trip to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lakhkar-e-Taiba (LeT),
which was then planning a terror attack in the city.
The Wafaa
actress’s Mitsubishi Outlander was allegedly used to ferry explosives
for
a bomb blast at the Delhi High Court in September 2011. Laila was
accompanied by her sister Azmina Patel, her stepfather Asif Sheikh and
her family friend Parvez Iqbal Tak, who allegedly had links with LeT
militants.
After supplying the LeT with information on the city of Mumbai, the four
received orders from the terror outfit to go to Delhi, to carry out the
blast. They then left the city in three separate cars — a Mitsubishi
Outlander,
a Mahindra Scorpio and a Daewoo Cielo.
They reunited at Laila’s
farmhouse in Igatpuri. At Igatpuri, the four met members of the LeT — Dr
Wasim, Major Yasin and Major Gulam. After concluding the
meeting, they set fire to the bungalow, to destroy documents and all
other evidence.
According to sources from the Intelligence Bureau, the four split up at Igatpuri — Tak and Sheikh went on to Delhi in the
Mitsubishi Outlander, where they carried out the blast.
They took the vehicle on to Kishtwar in Jammu & Kashmir. The
Outlander, with the registration number MH02 AY 7867 was registered
under Laila’s name.
Tak was later ordered by the LeT to take the
same
vehicle back to Mumbai for his next operation — a blast in Mumbai.
However, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) tipped off the J&K police that
a car carrying explosives was on its way to launch a terror attack in
Mumbai.
Based on this tip off, this car was then traced to a garage in Kishtwar, which Tak had rented for Rs 800 a month.
Terror link
Three years ago, Laila had married Munir Khan, a member of the
Bangladeshi terror outfit HUJI. It is suspected that it was through him
that she came in contact with the LeT. Director Rakesh Sawant, who was
working
on a project with Laila about three years ago, has also revealed that
she would often receive mysterious visitors.
“When I went to
Laila’s house for a meeting three years ago regarding my film, I saw a
Kashmiri sitting with weapons in her bedroom. I had even gone to
Igatpuri to talk to her about my film, where I saw a similar gathering.
When I asked Laila about them, she said they were her relatives, ” said
Rakesh.
On the run?
Shaikh, who unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly Elections, is
absconding at present, but the police have detained his close friend
Shakir Hussain for questioning.
The DIG for J&K (Doda-Ramban
Range) Gareeb Dass, said, “Laila, along with her sister, and two others
had done a recce in Mumbai. As soon as we got the input from the IB, we
located the car, which was supposed to carry explosives to Mumbai.
Further investigation is on.” “It is possible that Laila, along
with her family might have been killed by the LeT men, as they were
carrying crores of money with them, ” added Dass.
Who is Laila Khan?
Bollywood starlet Laila Khan went missing along with her family from
their Mumbai residence. Her mysterious disappearance left the police
puzzled as they were left clueless about Laila’s whereabouts.
Laila
Khan aka Sara had debuted opposite Rajesh Khanna in film Wafaa in 2008.
A promising film career beckoned her. However, in January, 2011 she
seemed to fall off the map along with her mother and three
siblings.
Rakhi Sawant’s director brother Rakesh had launched
Laila in Wafaa. During a visit to J&K he was informed about Laila’s
sudden disappearance by some locals. Rakesh sensed something fishy
and reported the matter at the Oshiwara police station.
