Samad's kin under scanner

Anxious about his brother's whereabouts, CCB officials are now questioning Samad's family members.

Anxious about his brother's whereabouts, CCB officials are now questioning Samad's family members.

The cops are not saying much on this one. In a bid to step up their investigations regarding the German Bakery blast in Pune, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) officials are now questioning family members of Yasin Bhatkal alias Ahmed. Yasin is Abdul Samad's elder brother.

On Monday, the CCB summoned Samad's uncle, Mohamed Yakub Siddibapa.
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According to sources, Yakub told cops that Yasin was missing from home for the past 4.5 years and has no been in touch with any of the family members.

Mohamed Yakub, Samad's uncle, claimed that he was summoned by the Central Crime Branch.

CCB officials are also waiting for Samad's release so that he could be questioned, since he has been in Mumbai.

Gulf connection

The police believe that Yasin, suspected of involvement in terror activities, has taken shelter in the Middle East. They also believe that Samad, who went to UAE on a visiting visa had gone to meet his brother.

This is one of the reasons why the Mumbai ATS picked up from the Bajpe airport at Mangalore, soon after he returned, a senior cop said. It was only after his arrest that the Bangalore CCB stepped up their investigations.

The CCB had questioned Samad last year, but he was let off since his involvement could not be proved. Samad was studying in a city-based college at that time and was living in a rented room with two of his classmates.

u00a0A team of officials recently summoned the classmates of Samad and questioned them about Samad's activities during his stay.
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Their statements have been recorded and they have been instructed to appear before the police whenever they were needed.

Family expects Samad's release

Meanwhile, Samad, who is booked under arms smuggling case has been granted bail by the court, but is not released yet. This is because his family members could not get two guarantors, along with cash surety of Rs 25,000, as directed by the court. The family members however confirmed with this reporter that they have managed to get the required formalities, and presented them before the police yesterday. They expect him to be released soon. When contacted, Joint Commissioner (Crime) Alok Kumar denied having questioned any family members. He also said that they were not planning to book Samad under any charges for the moment. u00a0 On the other hand, Yakub confirmed that he was summoned by the CCB, but declined to divulge more.