Sheikh (27), who also used to provide logistical support during IM strikes, was arrested last night from outside Saharanpur Railway Station in western Uttar Pradesh by a team of Delhi Police's Special Cell following a specific tip off.
"A resident of Pune in Maharashtra, Sheikh was 'silent' India-based techie, logistics man and hawala router of the banned terrorist organisation.
"He had close links with IM founders Riyaz Bhatkal and Mohsin Chowdhary, who had fled to Pakistan after Batla House encounter. He is the brother-in-law of Chowdhary and directly took commands from these two from across the border," said S N Shrivastava, Special Commissioner (Special Cell) of Delhi Police.
All investigations into this aspect had consistently hit a dead end with the growing realisation among various security agencies that the perpetrator was "technically super-smart" and had practically left no trace of his identity while espousing the nefarious claims of IM.
According to DCP (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, even Yasin Bhatkal, who was heading the Indian operations of the outfit during those days, was not aware about the sender's identity. Sheikh used to get the drafts of these emails from Riyaz Bhatkal and Mohsin Chowdhary from Pakistan which he used to send to Indian media houses.
Besides sending e-mails, Sheikh used to provide logistics to the IM operatives in India and prepared fake identities required by them for procuring mobile SIM cards, collecting foreign money transfers, obtaining rooms on rent and even in getting enrolled in professional educational institutions as a cover, police said.