Aurangabad arms seizure case accused refused bail

Mumbai, Jan 22 (UNI) The special MCOCA court here today rejected the bail application of Mohd Akil Mohd Ismail Momin, an accused in the Aurangabad arms seizure case of May last year.

Mohd Akil Mohd Ismail Momin had filed a bail application before MCOCA court judge M R Bhatkar contending that his arrest was made on the basis of the confessional statement by Abdul Samad, another accused who was arrested in this case.

Mohd Akil told the court that since Samad had later retracted his statement, he should be granted bail.

However, judge Bhatkar rejected the bail plea while observing that the ''retracted statement is admissible'' under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

Earlier, on December 18 last year, another accused Mohd Muzaffar Mohd Tanveer had filed for bail which was also rejected by the same court. The court had, then, observed that the accused had intentionally taken the vehicle to transport the contraband arms keeping the vehicle owner ignorant about the matter.

The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) in a joint operation with the Aurangabad police on May 9, had arrested three terrorists, including an activist of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), near the Ghrushneshwar temple at Verul village and seized arms and ammunition from them.

Interrogation of the arrested people led to the arrest of 13 more people but, later, charges against three of them were dropped. During September this year, the ATS had filed a chargesheet against the accused.

The ATS had seized 16 AK-47 rifles, 4000 live cartridges, 62 magazines, 43 kg of RDX and 50 hand granades during the search.

UNI