Mumbai Crime: Two brothers wanted for 13 years held

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The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra has nabbed two brothers who were absconding for the past 13 years. The accused, held on Thursday, have been identified as Ejaj Akram Sheikh and Iliyas Akram Sheikh. While one was arrested in Burhanpur with the help of Madhya Pradesh ATS, the other was held in Delhi. They were to be brought to Mumbai on Friday and produced in court on Saturday.

In 2006 the ATS recovered a large quantity of explosives and arms from Naya Nagar, Nalasopara. According to the ATS, the accused were associated with the banned organisation Students Islamic Movement Of India (SIMI), and suspected to be involved in the procuring of the explosives and arms. The police had arrested Ehtesham Siddiqui, an accused in the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, and he had also claimed to know them.

The ATS booked the brothers under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Since the registration of the offence in 2006, the Sheikh brothers, residents of Kurla, were absconding. Recently the Maharashtra ATS received reliable information that one of them was in Burhanpur. "They were produced in a court in MP and will be brought to the city on transit remand," said an ATS officer.

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