Aurangabad arms haul: Verdict date likely to be known today

The designated Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court is likely to announce today the date for its verdict in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case today against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal and 20 other accused.

The designated Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court is likely to announce today the date for its verdict in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case today against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal and 20 other accused.

A team from the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) had chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on the Chandwad-Manmad road near Aurangabad and arrested three people, seizing 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets.The Indica was allegedly driven by Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, an alleged handler in the 26/11 terror attacks. (HT FILE)

The trial in the case concluded in March, ten years after the arrest of the accused, but the trial began only in 2013 after the arrest of key accused Jundal.

According to the prosecution, on May 8, 2006, a team from the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) had chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on the Chandwad-Manmad road near Aurangabad and arrested three people, seizing 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets.

In 2006, the agency arrested 21 more people and recovered 16 AK-47 rifles, 40kg of RDX, 500 hand grenades and more than 5,000 cartridges from them. The Indica was allegedly driven by Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, an alleged handler in the 26/11 terror attacks.