07 June,2012 06:16 AM IST | | Shiva Devnath
It has come to light that Laila Khan - the Bollywood starlet who has been missing since last year - recced Mumbai in 2011 along with her stepfather, sister and a family friend, and provided maps and photographs from the trip to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lakhkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was then planning a terror attack in the city. The Wafaa actress's Mitsubishi Outlander was allegedly used to ferry explosives for a bomb blast at the Delhi High Court in September 2011. Laila was accompanied by her sister Azmina Patel, her stepfather Asif Sheikh and her family friend Parvez Iqbal Tak, who allegedly had links with LeT militants.
Terror links: Laila Khan accompanied by her sister Azmina Patel, her stepfather Asif Sheikh and her family friend Parvez Iqbal Tak, who allegedly had connections with LeT militantsu00a0
After supplying the LeT with information on the city of Mumbai, the four received orders from the terror outfit to go to Delhi, to carry out the blast. They then left the city in three separate cars - a Mitsubishi Outlander, a Mahindra Scorpio and a Daewoo Cielo. They reunited at Laila's farmhouse in Igatpuri. At Igatpuri, the four met members of the LeT - Dr Wasim, Major Yasin and Major Gulam. After concluding the meeting, they set fire to the bungalow, to destroy documents and all other evidence. According to sources from the Intelligence Bureau, the four split up at Igatpuri - Tak and Sheikh went on to Delhi in the Mitsubishi Outlander, where they carried out the blast.
They took the vehicle on to Kishtwar in Jammu & Kashmir. The Outlander, with the registration number MH02 AY 7867 was registered under Laila's name. Tak was later ordered by the LeT to take the same vehicle back to Mumbai for his next operation - a blast in Mumbai. However, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) tipped off the J&K police that a car carrying explosives was on its way to launch a terror attack in Mumbai. Based on this tip off, this car was then traced to a garage in Kishtwar, which Tak had rented for Rs 800 a month.
Terror link
Three years ago, Laila had married Munir Khan, a member of the Bangladeshi terror outfit HUJI. It is suspected that it was through him that she came in contact with the LeT. Director Rakesh Sawant, who was working on a project with Laila about three years ago, has also revealed that she would often receive mysterious visitors. "When I went to Laila's house for a meeting three years ago regarding my film, I saw a Kashmiri sitting with weapons in her bedroom. I had even gone to Igatpuri to talk to her about my film, where I saw a similar gathering. When I asked Laila about them, she said they were her relatives," said Rakesh.
On the run?
Shaikh, who unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly Elections, is absconding at present, but the police have detained his close friend Shakir Hussain for questioning. The DIG for J&K (Doda-Ramban Range) Gareeb Dass, said, "Laila, along with her sister, and two others had done a recce in Mumbai. As soon as we got the input from the IB, we located the car, which was supposed to carry explosives to Mumbai. Further investigation is on."u00a0"It is possible that Laila, along with her family might have been killed by the LeT men, as they were carrying crores of money with them," added Dass.u00a0
Who is Laila Khan?
Bollywood starlet Laila Khan went missing along with her family from their Mumbai residence. Her mysterious disappearance left the police puzzled as they were left clueless about Laila's whereabouts. Laila Khan aka Sara had debuted opposite Rajesh Khanna in film Wafaa in 2008. A promising film career beckoned her. However, in January, 2011 she seemed to fall off the map along with her mother and three siblings. Rakhi Sawant's director brother Rakesh had launched Laila in Wafaa. During a visit to J&K he was informed about Laila's sudden disappearance by some locals. Rakesh sensed something fishy and reported the matter at the Oshiwara police station.
