lucknow

Updated: Sep 14, 2018 12:22 IST

Alleged Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) operative Qamar-uz-Zama alias Dr Huraira, 38, was not living alone in the rented house a few hundred metres away from the GSVM Kanpur airport, which functions as part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Chakeri.

Zama was living with two other persons for the last one month, said Pooja Yadav, who lives adjacent the house. “Three persons were living in the house – one of them is whose photo is being shown,” she said.

The trio was visited by two persons who came on a ‘scooty’ bearing an ‘IAF sticker’, she disclosed. They used to come especially during night hours. Apart from this duo, no one else met the persons living in this house, she added. Some others living close by also confirmed this.

The room on the first floor of the house was rented nearly two months ago. All the three men had moved in together and were paying Rs 3,500 to the landlord, Ujiyari Lal Yadav, a former corporator from Shiv Nagar ward.

Yadav said that the men had told him that they were from Lucknow and worked for a mobile company and their responsibility included maintenance of cell towers.

“I agreed to give my house on rent. They paid on time, but never gave their identity related documents even though I asked for it many times,” he said.

This month, Qamar-uz-Zama delayed the payment and Yadav had to ask for it three times.

“I came down every time because he had told me that he didn’t keep a cell phone and promised each time to bring documents whenever he visited Lucknow,” added Yadav.

The three men, according to locals, left the house for five days in August and returned. Usually, they used to leave the house at 10 am and return around 2 pm. An hour later, they would leave again and come at night.

“There was nothing suspicious about them, but their routine though was unusual, so was their movement together as they hardly went out separately,” said a local.

The room of their house had only one plastic chair, two mattresses and two pillows apart from eatables.

Sources said their choice of address for the rented accomodation was crucial in unraveling the plan, which could also involve an attack on the airport or the IAF base. The base has figured on the ‘terror radar’ on a number of occasions, they said.

Moreover, the military base was on the other side of the road with many key defence establishments.

“The way they were living clearly indicates that they were on a mission. The focus is now on the accomplices,” said sources.