Lucknow, Aug 30 - The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh police is looking for 21 students of Lucknow University who studied with suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohammad Aslam alias Salim arrested in Delhi Tuesday.
Salim was a student of Arabic studies from 2003 to 2005 and the ATS is now trying to trace 21 students of Arabic, Persian and Urdu Departments who studied during the same period in Lucknow University, an ATS source said.
'Besides Salim, most of these students belong to Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir and had used the address of the same 'religious society' located near Lucknow University to get admission. Some of them also belong to Poorvanchal district of the state from where many terror suspects were arrested or killed in encounters in recent past. All of them are untraceable as of now,' the source said.
'Mohammad Aslam alias Salim was a student of M.A. Arabic Studies from 2003 to 2005. A native of Rajouri in Kashmir, his 'operational name' in Lucknow was Mohammad Salim,' Additional Director General of police Brijlal had earlier told reporters.
The university has started taking stringent steps in the verification process of students and has put this data online to assist security agencies.
'The data of all such students will be instantly made available to the deputy inspector general of the police and the district magistrate. We have also sent the details of 12 students to the ATS and are assisting them in their probe,' an official of the university vice chancellor's office told IANS on condition of anonymity.