Court acquits 3 youths arrested under POTA in 2002

Rampur, Jan 20: Three youths who were arrested under

in 2002 for allegedly helping Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (

) were acquitted for want of evidence, police said today.

District Judge of Moradabad POTA court, Roop Kishore Gupta, on Saturday ordered the release of Javed alias Guddu, Taj Mohammad and Maksood due to lack of "desired quantum of evidence".

The trio was later released yesterday from Rampur Jail, Superintendent of Police Sadhna Goswami said. Lucknow-based Special Task Force sleuths had nabbed the trio on August 13, 2002, from Rampur.

Maps of several Indian Army centres were recovered from their possession and they were accused of helping the ISI, the SP said. The STF had also arrested Mumtaj Mian, but a review committee on POTA had recommended withdrawal of POTA charges against him, in 2004, as no direct evidence was found.

He is now being prosecuted under certain other sections of IPC, his lawyer Nazar Abbas said, adding that his release is expected soon.

PTI