LeT bomb expert Tunda sent to 3-day police custody by Delhi court

New Delhi: Top LeT bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda was on Saturday remanded in three-day police custody by a Delhi court in connection with a 1997 blast case, in which one woman was killed and several others were injured. Tunda, who was in police custody till today in connection with a separate bomb blast case lodged against him here, was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Bansal, and special cell of Delhi Police sought his three-day of custodial interrogation. [caption id=“attachment_1139675” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Abdul Karim Tunda. PTI[/caption] The police said a bomb had exploded at Bidan Pura here on October 26, 1997 resulting in death of a woman, and during the searches, a live bomb was recovered by the investigators and it was defused. It also said during the probe, various persons including some Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals were arrested and they had disclosed about their involvements in various terror strikes in the country. The special cell also said two of the arrested accused Mohd Amir Khan and Mohd Shakeel had disclosed about their role in the October 26, 1997 blast and had also said that they had taken training of preparing bomb from Tunda. “They (Amir and Shakeel) had also disclosed that their mentor Abdul Karim alias Tunda had discussed with them the plan of carrying out bomb blasts in Delhi and he (Tunda) further directed them to execute the plans by carrying out bomb blasts in crowded places like Karol Bagh so that maximum causalities can be done,” the police said. This is the fourth case lodged against Tunda in which the police has taken his police custody. 70-year-old Tunda was arrested from the Indo-Nepal border at Banbasa on August 16. He was earlier remanded to police custody for questioning in connection with 37 bomb blast cases across the country. Advocate Akram Khan, who appeared for Tunda, opposed the police’s plea contending that his client has been in police custody for over 40 days in connection with three separate case. On September 26, the court had dismissed the police plea for permission to conduct brain mapping test of Tunda after he had refused to give his consent for it citing his old age and health problems. While seeking three-day police remand of Tunda today, the police told the court that during custodial interrogation, the accused had disclosed that he had discussed the plan of terror strikes in Delhi with Amir and Shakeel and he had directed them to carry out blasts. It also said that three of his associates – Allauddin, Mohd Zakaria and Mohd Basiruddin – are in police custody in connection with a separate case and they would return from West Bengal, where they have been taken by the investigators, on September 29 and Tunda is to be confronted with them. Tunda is one of the 20 terrorists India had asked Pakistan government to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He is suspected to be involved in 40 bombings in the country. He is the first on the list to be arrested. PTI