The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday revealed that Faheem — one of eight LeT operatives arrested in Lucknow on February 10 in connection with the attack on the CRPF camp at Rampur on New Years’ night — has told interrogators that he was Lashkar’s Mumbai link.

A local hailing from the Motilal Nagar slum in Goregaon (West), Faheem was given instructions to arrange for accommodation in the city for LeT fidayeens (suicide-bombers) so that attacks could be planned and carried out here.

“Faheem was brought to the city by the UP Special Task Force for two days, and has now been taken back to Lucknow. During the time we questioned him, he revealed nothing substantial about other operatives who might be in the city. However, he said he was indoctrinated by three men in Mumbai,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (ATS) Hemant Karkare.

He added: “Of the three men who spoke to him about jehad and urged him to take up terrorism, two are now believed to have gone to Pakistan, while the third has gone underground after Faheem and the LeT module was busted in Lucknow. However, all this is a version provided by Faheem, and we are ascertaining whether this is true.”

According to the ATS, Faheem had conducted recces at 12 spots in the city which include Churchgate and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway stations, Haj House, Haji Ali dargah, the Mumbai Police headquarters, the Maharashtra Police headquarters, Gateway of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange building.

Faheem, who holds a Pakistani passport showing him to be a resident of Rawalpindi, was born and brought up in Mumbai, and did odd jobs for a living. He went to Dubai for work and in 2005 joined the LeT. He visited Pakistan, where he attended a training camp near the jungles of Muzaffarabad. Faheem was also in touch with a handler in Nepal, who is among the eight arrested by the UP STF.

According to the UP Special Task Force who arrested the LeT militants, Faheem stayed at Sunlight Guest House at Grant Road from November 28 to December 10, after which he took a room on rent at Batawalli Chawl, Faulkland Road in the Grant Road area.