Terror saga that had cops of 2 states in a tizzy could well be a dirty hoax perpetrated by a pissed-off lawyer fighting a bitter divorce case
The ATS office at Byculla. The special police force and Indore cops have not found any terror-related evidence against Menon. File pic
It was a Pakistani national, working as a lawyer for a Hong Kong visa processing firm, who sent the anonymous email to India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleging Indore resident Sarfaraz Memon, 40, was a terror threat who had received military training in China, Hong Kong, and Pakistan, sources have told mid-day. Investigations by the Indore police and Maharashtra ATS have not found any terror-related evidence against Memon, sources said, adding merely that his travel pattern looks suspicious. He has been released from custody.
Upon receiving the mail, multiple agencies worked on tracking its origin. They found it came from a Hong Kong IP address linked to a phone number issued by a Chinese telecom company.
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All local police stations were on alert after details about Sarfaraz Menon were received. Representation pic/Ashish Raje
“We found the number belongs to a Pakistani national identified as Butt, who works as a lawyer for a Hong Kong visa processing firm,” an officer from Indore police told mid-day.
Also Read: ‘Pakistan-trained’ man traced to Indore: Police
Sources added that the Chinese telecom company has refused to provide Butt’s details to the Maharashtra ATS and Indore police, asking them to come through proper legal channels.
A dirty lawyer’s hoax?
Interestingly, Memon had already told his interrogators that he suspects the mail to have been sent with malicious intent by the lawyer representing his Chinese-origin wife in their divorce case.
“He told us there was considerable bad blood with his wife’s lawyer over the terms of the divorce,” the officer said. “However, we are not relying on his information and are verifying it further to ascertain if the claim is true. So far, the details he has provided match with what we have found via our investigation.”
Memon has told the police that he went to Hong Kong in 2003 and married a Chinese national in 2015, before filing for divorce in 2017, which is under process even as he returned to India in 2021.
While officers admit there has not been any evidence to show Menon is a terrorist, they are nonetheless intrigued by his travel routes. Sources said Memon first went to Hong Kong via West Bengal and Bangladesh.
“That’s not a usual travel route. The Bangladesh route is mostly used by illegal immigrants, but Memon insists he went there legally. But since his travel data is not available from 2003 to 2006, we have written to passport authorities,” said another officer.
Money trail from UAE
The police have also found Memon has received money from the UAE, which he has explained as his elder brother helping him meet his expenses.
2015
Year Sarfaraz Memon married Chinese national
2017
Year Sarfaraz Memon filed for divorce
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