Of the six LeT militants arrested, Fahim Ahmed Ansari alias Abu Zarar alias Shahir, a Pakistani from Rawalpindi, has told the police that he was given the task of arranging accommodation for three operatives in Mumbai, according to the ATS.

“While I cannot reveal the exact location of the accommodation arranged by Fahim, it is located in the Jogeshwari area, and investigations are on in this regard. However, we fear that our operations may be jeopardised as suspects in the area might already have been alerted by news of the arrests in UP,” said a top ATS official.

Sources in the ATS said the accommodation was actually located in Motilal Nagar in Goregaon (West).

The arrests, and subsequent revelations made by Fahim, have brought to the fore the threat of terrorist sleeper cells in the city.

“Sleeper modules do exist in the city, and it is possible that some of them might have been activated by the operatives arrested in Lucknow. The only way to detect these modules is through a strong intelligence network, as well as tip-offs from citizens. We keep checking lodges and guest houses in the city as a routine procedure,” said Joint Commissioner of Police, ATS, Hemant Karkare.

Commenting on the targets that were revealed by Fahim, Karkare said, “Our team is in Lucknow and interrogations are on. The BSE and Churchgate station were targets, along with some other sensitive places in the city.”

The Mumbai Police may now seek permission from the court to question those arrested in the 7/11 serial blasts case to get further details on Fahim and the other operatives who were headed for Mumbai.

“If necessary, we will seek a transit remand and bring those arrested by the UP STF to the city. We will do all that is necessary in our investigations, and this may include questioning some of the 7/11 accused as well,” said Karkare.