E-Paper
Pune court orders terror case probe transfer from Maharashtra ATS to NIA
The judge also ordered that the ATS custody of the suspects has been surrendered to the NIA for further investigation
A Pune court on Tuesday allowed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe into alleged terror plot investigated by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
District Sessions Judge SV Kachare passed an order to hand over the probe in connection with the Maharashtra ISIS Module and terror plot case to the NIA.
The judge also ordered that the ATS custody of the suspects has been surrendered to the NIA for further investigation.
The national anti-terror investigation agency through its legal counsel had moved an application before the court on Monday seeking transfer of the investigation. The terror case was originally registered at Kothrud police station as a bike theft case although charges pertaining to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were invoked later as the ATS took over probe.
With the latest order, the five suspects — Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan and Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki hailing from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh (MP), Kadir Dastagir Pathan arrested from Gondia, Seemab Kazi held from Ratnagiri, and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala — will be handed over to central agency.
A notification related to the case was issued by the government last week and, accordingly, on Monday, the NIA officials approached the court in Pune to initiate the process.
Jayant Meena, superintendent of police (SP), state ATS said, “NIA has taken over the case from Maharashtra ATS.”
The NIA in its application before the court had sought the ATS to hand over case records, including statements of witnesses, materials, articles, case diaries etc to the chief investigative officer of the NIA.
The probe agency of Maharashtra had registered the case under Sections 34, 379, 468 and 511 of the IPC, Sectionss 13, 15, 16, 18 and 20 of UAPA and relevant sections of Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act.
The central government is of the opinion that scheduled offences committed and having regard to gravity of offences, its inter-state linkage under the National Investigation Act (NIA) Act 2008 should be investigated by the central agency.
The ATS investigation has so far revealed that the arrested terror suspects belong to the Sufa group which is inspired by the ISIS ideology and was inclined towards Jihad. Members of the group encouraged and motivated youths of the area to join the group to carry out terror attacks.
