Had no idea of his terror activities: Kalimuddin’s neighbours

Jamshedpur: The double storey building at the end of the lane on Road Number 12 in Jawaharnagar in Mango wears a deserted look but till mid 2017 it was abuzz with visitors for its ground floor was a madrassa owned by top al-Qaida terrorist Md Kalimuddin Mujahari who was on the run for three years and whom Jharkhand ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) arrested on Saturday from near Tatanagar railway station.
Kalimuddin lived on the top floor of the building, along with his parents and his brothers.“It has been over two years since his father and mother shifted to their native village in Rargaon near Chandil on Ranchi-Tata highway while his brothers live elsewhere,” the 88-year-old neighbour, Mohamed Shamsuddin, said. He added that none of Kalimuddin’s family members has come to this colony for more than a year.
In 2018, police attached the building after Kalimuddin fled the city following court warrant and his parents shifted to their native village while his brothers went elsewhere in the town to stay.
Confectionery store owner Mohamed Ethesham (52) — whose shop is close to Venus Public School, which is a few meters away from Kalimuddin's house — said, “Madrassa was one of the landmarks of the locality which witnessed a rush of local children.”
He added, “Children from the surrounding slums went there to study religious discourse.” Today that madrassa has turned into a place for cattle grazing.
A 47-year-old local milk vendor, on condition of anonymity, said his six-year-old son also studied at the madrassa for a short period. “I have visited the madrassa a few times when my son studied there but I never had the opportunity to interact with Kalimuddin. Hence, I had no idea about his other activities,” the milk vendor added, who owns a cattle shed close to Kalimuddin’s house.
A mobile shop owner, whose shop is on the Mango Main Road close to Jharkhand Sweets Shop, said he knew Kalimuddin as a cleric. “Maulana sahab used to come to recharge his mobile phone but in the last five years he did not come here,” the trader, who does not wish to be named, said.
Another resident, who lives on the same road where Kalimuddin stayed with his family, said his building has several rooms in it.
“All the rooms are intricately designed and are connected to the stairs at the rear end,” the 36-year-old man, who does house construction work, added.