26/11: Mumbai crime branch gets Jundal custody

The Mumbai crime branch on Saturday was given custody of Key accused and handler of the 26/11 attacks case Abu Jundal till July 31.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police has registered another case against Jundal on the basis of disclosures made by him.

Jundal was on Saturday produced in a Mumbai court. Jundal's custody was handed over to Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad on Friday.

Giving priority to four cases in Mumbai, a Delhi court on Friday directed the Maharashtra Police to produce Jundal in a Mumbai court on Saturday.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Vinod Yadav had directed the Maharastra Police to take Jundal to Mumbai and produce him in a court on Saturday for granting his custody to two different probe agencies in the city.

The court had said the Mumbai court would consider the comparative merit and the requirement of the accused in the four cases and would grant custody of the accused.

The Mumbai Police want Jundal's custody for his alleged involvement in the 26/11 attack, the 2010 German Bakery blast, the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case and a plot to attack the Nashik Police Academy.

Mumbai ATS had told the court that Jundal's custody is "absolutely essential" in the Aurangabad arms haul case, where he is an accused and has been declared a proclaimed offender.

Officers from the detection crime branch and Mumbai ATS also stressed for Jundal's custody in the German bakery blast case and the Nashik Police Academy case, saying he was one of the conspirators in those incidents.

The Mumbai crime branch, which is probing the 26/11 attacks, is likely to lay its hands on Jundal first as the Maharashtra ATS has decided to inform the court that it has no objection if the crime branch is granted custody of the terror suspect.

Maharashtra ATS is probing three other cases that include the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case, the 2010 German Bakery blast and the plan to attack Nashik Academy.

With Additional Inputs From PTI