Jaipur blasts case: Man arrested in UP

The Jaipur Police arrested a youth from the Moulviganj locality in Lucknow for his alleged involvement in the Jaipur blasts, reports Manish Chandra Pandey.

The Jaipur Police on Monday arrested a youth from the Moulviganj locality here for his alleged involvement in the Jaipur blasts.

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Shahbaz Ahmad runs a computer training institute and cyber café in Adarsh Market in the locality. He was arrested by Jaipur Police, assisted by the Anti-Terrorist Squad officers.

Additional Director General of Police (crime and law and order) Brij Lal said a Jaipur Police team arrived in Lucknow with a ‘production warrant’ and sought help in arresting the accused. “We are not aware of the nature of involvement. The details must be with Jaipur Police,” Lal said. He said the accused hailed from Bhadohi and had set up a computer training institute in Lucknow.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (ATS) Rajeev Krishna too couldn’t give any significant details. “We didn’t get time to interrogate the accused,” he said.

However, sources said Ahmad was arrested as Safdar Nagori, chief of the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), who has already been arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad blasts, had revealed his name. Abu Bashar — a resident of Azamgarh who was recently arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad blasts — also reportedly spoke of him.

Later in the day, Ahmad was produced before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate RP Tripathi under tight security. The Jaipur Police requested for a transit-remand (custody during journey) of 48 hours on a production warrant. They told the court Ahmad was instrumental in purchasing cycles and equipping them with detonators before the May 13 blasts that killed 60 people.