Aurangabad arms haul case: Verdict on July 28

Apart from Abu Jundal, the main accused, 20 others have been arrested in the case

The designated Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court will announce the verdict in the 2006 Aurangabad Arms haul case on July 28. The trial had concluded this March.

The hand grenades seized by the Anti Terrorist Squad in 2006 (HT FILE)

The trial in the case began only in 2013 after the arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and an alleged handler in the 26/11 terror attacks, Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal. Apart from Jundal, who is the main accused, 20 others have been arrested in the case.

According to the prosecution, on May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team chased down a Tata Sumo and an Indica on Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets.

It is believed that Jundal, who was driving the Indica, had given the police a slip at that point. Jundal, who hails from Beed, allegedly drove to Malegaon and handed over the vehicle to an acquaintance.

The agency arrested 21 accused in the case and recovered 16 AK-47 rifles, 40kg RDX, 500 hand grenades and more than 5,000 cartridges.

Jundal escaped to Bangladesh in May 2006 from where he fled to Pakistan on a fake passport, which was obtained with the help of LeT operatives, according to the crime branch.

He was arrested in 2012 after his deportation to India.