Maharashtra ATS gets Abu Jundal’s custody

While granting Jundal's custody to Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Sqaud (ATS), Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Vinod Yadav reminded it that after they finsih interrogating Jundal, the alleged terror master mind has to be brought back to Delhi as the NIA and other agencies too have sought his custody.
   
Jundal was produced before CMM Yadav after the expiry of his 30-days' custody with the Delhi Police which quizzed him about the 2010 Jama Masjid blast and other terror strikes in the Capital.
   
The 30-year-old Jundal, allegedly associated with the Lashkar-e-Toiba, is wanted by the Mumbai ATS in connection with four cases -- Aurangabad arms haul case, the 26/11 Mumbai mayhem, the German bakery blast and the Nasik Academy attack.
   
The court gave Jundal's custody to ATS Mumbai, asking it to produce him before the Mumbai's CMM and left it to the metropolitan court there to decide as to in which of the four cases his custody is to be given back to the Mumbai ATS.
   
"The CMM Mumbai would be at liberty to consider comparative merits and requirement of aforesaid cases and grant custody of this accused (Jundal) accordingly," the court said.
   
Meanwhile, Jundal's counsel M S Khan prayed to the court that media be restrained from publishing his client's photographs as he is being produced in court in a muffled face and publishing his pictures could affect his defence. The court allowed the plea.

The Mumbai Crime Branch asked for his custody; they want him to confront Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist caught alive in Munbai during 26/11, who is kept in a bulletproof cell at Mumbai's Arthur Road jail.

On the other hand, Delhi Police had sought the 26/11 key handler Abu Jundal's custody for 14 more days.

Earlier, the Delhi Police was on July 5 granted the custody of 26/11 handler Jundal for 15 days by the Tis Hazari Court.

Jundal has been in custody of the Delhi Police's special cell since his extradition from Saudi Arab on June 21.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) also wanted his custody so they could question him about the conspiracy behind 26/11.

During interrogation, the Delhi Police had found that Jundal was using nine different email IDs and four international SIM cards - one from Pakistan and others from Saudi Arabia, were recovered from his possession.
   
The police had also told the court it was probing to ascertain Jundal's links with other co-accused persons and "invisible handlers" in LeT and Indian Mujahideen.
   
In its charge sheet in the Jama Masjid attack case against 11 IM modules, the Delhi Police had revealed that they were running an arms manufacturing unit in Meer Vihar area in West Delhi.
   
Jundal had allegedly trained the 10 Pakistani terrorists who had attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, besides teaching them basic Hindi and apprising them of Mumbai's topography.
   
After his deportation from Saudi Arabia, Jundal was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on June 21 by the Delhi Police.
   
The Delhi police had taken him in its custody in a case relating to the arrest of various Indian Mujahideen operatives and interrogated him for his involvement in Jama Masjid, German Bakery and Chinnaswamy stadium blasts. The case was registered on November 22, 2011.
   
Jundal has been booked under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Passport Act and various sections of the IPC.