IM operatives Tehsin Akhtar, Waqas sent to NIA custody till 16 May

New Delhi: Suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) men Tehsin Akhtar and Zia-Ur Rahman alias Waqas were today remanded in NIA’s custody till May 16 by a Special court after the probe agency said they were required to be interrogated to unearth the entire conspiracy of the banned terror outfit. District Judge IS Mehta allowed the NIA’s plea for taking custody of the two accused saying, “both the accused persons are sent to police custody for 10 days i.e. up to May 16.” [caption id=“attachment_1123575” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Ibnlive[/caption] “I have perused the charge sheet against the co-accused persons and the case diary on the basis of which non-bailable warrants (NBW) dated 18 July, 2013 and 10 September, 2013 were issued against both the accused persons. In these circumstances, the prayer of NIA for taking police custody of the aforesaid accused persons are allowed and the application moved on behalf of NIA dated May 6, 2014 is disposed of accordingly,” the judge said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), while seeking custody of Akhtar and Waqas for 15 days, claimed that they have “exclusive knowledge” about the plans of IM to carry out terror attacks in the country in future. The agency alleged they also know about the hidden modules of IM and “all these need to be verified further in the course of the custodial examination of the accused persons who have detailed knowledge of such other co-conspirators.” It also said that IM Indian chief Yasin Bhatkal, his aide Asadullah Akhtar and seven other suspected members of IM have already been chargesheeted in connection with the case. During the arguments on the NIA’s plea, advocate MS Khan, who appeared for both Akhtar and Waqas, said there was no evidence to connect these two accused in the case. He argued that NIA’s plea “is nothing but to create the evidence against the accused persons including forcible making of the statement of confession.” Khan also claimed that the names of Akhtar and Waqas, a Pakistani national, were “incorporated” in the case by the NIA officials “on their own.” NIA, however, said Akhtar and Waqas were required to be examined about the places from where they used to communicate with their associates and leaders in Pakistan and also about the hideouts where they along with others used to stay and collect money from outlets of Western Union Money Transfer. NIA, in its plea, claimed Akhtar had played an “important role” in the development of the dreaded Darbhanga module of the IM, which was involved in carrying out a series of terror strikes in the country. Regarding Waqas and Akhtar, the agency said that they both had personally participated in various bomb blasts on the instructions of Pakistan-based handlers, Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, who both are co-founders of the IM and are absconding. The court had earlier kept its order pending over the NIA Hyderabad’s plea seeking a three-day transit remand of Akhtar and Waqas in connection with the Dilsukhnagar blasts in February last year. Mumbai ATS too moved the court seeking custody of the two accused but the judge had also kept its application pending. Tehsin and Waqas, along with other alleged IM operatives, Mohd Maroof, Wakar Azhar and Mohd Saqib Ansari, were arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in March this year. Maroof, Azhar and Ansari were arrested in connection with an illegal arms factory case here in which a supplementary charge sheet was recently filed against arrested accused Yasin Bhatkal and Asadullah Akhtar. Tehsin was arrested on March 25 near Indo-Nepal border in Darjeeling district of West Bengal while Waqas was arrested outside Ajmer Railway Station on 22 March. PTI