Jundal remanded in ATS custody till Aug 24 in arms haul case

Mumbai, Aug 14: The special MCOCA court today remanded LeT operative and key 26/11 handler Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias

in Maharashtra ATS custody till Aug 24 in connection with the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.

The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) told the court that Jundal was the main accused in the case and had indoctrinated many Muslims. Jundal requested special MCOCA court judge SM Modak that he wanted to talk to his parents, following which his prayer was allowed and the judge directed the ATS to make arrangements accordingly.

On Saturday, 30-year-old Jundal had recorded a confessional statement in which he is understood to have given deep insight into Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba's role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Jundal was in the custody of Mumbai crime branch since the day he was brought here from Delhi in the 26/11 case before being remanded in judicial custody last Friday after he expressed the desire to confess his role in the Mumbai terror attacks.

He was brought to Mumbai on Jul 21 after a Delhi court handed over his custody to the ATS, which wanted him in connection with a series of terror-related crimes in Maharashtra.

The ATS had, however, allowed Mumbai crime branch to secure his custody in the 26/11 case.

On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team had chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30 kg RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. The Indica was allegedly driven by Jundal, who managed to give police the slip.

Hailing from Beed district of Maharashtra, Jundal then allegedly drove to Malegaon and handed over the vehicle to an acquaintance. In May 2006 itself, he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan on a fake passport obtained with the help of LeT operatives, according to the crime branch.

PTI