Terror suspect's murder: Court issues warrant for 2 inmates

Pune, Jun 9: A judge here on Saturday issued a production warrant to Yerawada police, asking them to produce gangsters Sharad Mohol and Alok Bhalerao before the court in connection with the murder of terror suspect Mohammad Qateel Siddiqui.

Qateel was found strangulated in his cell in Yerawada Central Prison yesterday morning. A complaint filed by the jail authorities named the two inmates, Mohol and Bhalerao, as the culprits.

The police today filed an application before holiday court's judge, Magistrate S B Munde, seeking permission to question Mohol and Bhalerao. The judge asked the police to produce them first before the court and issued a production warrant.

The two, who are already facing cases under MCOCA, are likely to be produced before the court tomorrow.

26-year-old Siddiqui, an alleged operative of Indian Mujahideen, was in judicial custody at Yerawada in a case filed by Maharashtra ATS in which he was accused of attempting to plant a bomb at the famous Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple in Pune in 2010. He had been named in other terror-related cases too.

Assistant Public Prosecutor A K Pacharane said "right now both the suspects are lodged in the Yerawada prison for other offences. Police need to interrogate them in connection with Siddiqui's murder. We have filed a plea before the court requesting to hand over the accused in the fresh case."

PTI