08 August,2023 08:20 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
Representative image/iStock
On Tuesday, a special court in Pune directed the transfer of investigation into the alleged terror plot case from the Maharashtra ATS to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Earlier, five accused were arrested by the ATS in the case.
"The special court also directed the ATS to hand over the custody of all the five accused to the NIA and also granted their transit remand to the central investigation agency," said public prosecutor (ATS) Vijay Fargade.
The NIA has registered a fresh offence in Mumbai under sections 379 (punishment of theft ), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences) of the Indian Penal Code, besides the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act.
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Fargade said. "The court has passed the order to hand over the probe and the custody of the five suspects, including Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan (23), Mohd Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki (24), Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, and Qadir Dastgir, to the NIA".
Four of the five men were arrested by the Maharashtra ATS. Barodawala was in the custody of NIA.
"The investigation revealed that Saki and Khan were wanted by the NIA in a March 2022 Rajasthan terror plot case, and they were the alleged members of the Al-Sufa outfit who escaped from Ratlam after NIA made some arrests in the case," investigators had said.
The NIA had told the Pune court that they have registered a fresh case in Mumbai.
"The Central government is of the opinion that scheduled offences under the National Investigation Act have been committed, and having regard to the gravity of the offences and its inter-state linkages, it is required to be investigated by the NIA," the NIA told the special court.
Further, the NIA urged the court to also transfer judicial records to the NIA Special Court in Mumbai.
"The court has given the transit remand of all the five accused to the NIA after the ATS surrendered their custody in court," Fargade said.
The ATS claimed it had recovered several incriminating items, including chemical powder, a drone camera, equipment used for making bombs, two pistols, five rounds, one car, huge electronic data, images of the Chabad House, one of the 26/11 terror attacks sites, in south Mumbai.
(with inputs from PTI)
