Police custody of 7/11 blast case suspects extended

Mumbai, July 31 (UNI) A local court here today extended the police custody of Mohammed Kamal Ansari, arrested in connection with the July 11 serial train blasts in the metropolis, till August 14.

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) sleuths today produced Ansari before metropolitan magistrate A M Garde who remanded the latter in police custody till August 14.

Ansari was arrested from Bihar on July 20 along with Mohammed Khalil Sheikh.

While moving the remand application, the prosecution had sought extension of Ansari's custody to probe his involvement in the Jogeshwari blast, one in the series of seven blasts that had rocked Mumbai on July 11. The prosecution had also sought extension of the custody of Mohammed Khalil Sheikh and a third arrested person, Mumtaz Chaudhary, to probe their involvement in the Matunga blast.

The court extended the police custody of Sheikh and Chaudhary till August 3.

The three are suspected to have direct or indirect links with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The ATS sleuths had seized 1.5 kg of certain black powder from the possession of Ansari and Sheikh.

The July 11 serial blasts in local trains in the metropolis had claimed around 200 lives and left over 700 injured.

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