Ahmedabad: The slain Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist Samir Khan Pathan, who is alleged to have conspired to eliminate Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, had "activated his old contacts" in Maharashtra, MP and Rajasthan, during post-Godhra riots, a senior crime branch officer said on October 22.

"During the communal riots, Samir Khan was at Rajkot and he activated his old contacts and created hideouts in Gujarat, MP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan," joint commissioner of city crime branch, P P Pandey, told reporters.

Pandey said that Pathan, who was involved in killing of a constable over a chain snatching case in 1996, was a well travelled man having "indoctrinated into Jehadi mentality during his long stay in Pakistan".

"He was initially trained by HUJI but later joined Jaish-e-Mohammed as it gained popularity in Pakistan following release of Azhar Mansur after Indian Airlines plane hijack."

Since he had left Ahmedabad after murder of constable Vishnubhai Jivabhai Jhala on May 10, 1996, Pathan has "cultivated" friends at all levels including in small time criminal dens in Kota, Jhalawad, Bhopal, Sajapur, Jaipur and across the border in Multan, Karachi, and Lahore.

He is believed to have utilised more than one passport including one in the name of Nawabkhan Ayazkhan Pavhan.

"Once he was ready for committing any act of terrorism, in India, gangster Aftab Ansari with the help of ISI agents got a Pakistani passport for Samir in the name of Shoktali Shaikh and was pushed as a tourist to Nepal on a Pakistan Airlines flight," he added.

PTI