ATS may invoke MCOCA against Pune blast suspect

September 18, 2010 06:53 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 09:41 pm IST - Mumbai

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad may invoke the stringent MCOCA against the two alleged LeT operatives, one of them a Pune blast suspect, arrested last week.

Nearly seven months after a powerful blast ripped through Pune’s German Bakery, the ATS on September 7 nabbed Mirza Himayat Baig (29), head of LeT operations in Maharashtra, for his alleged role in the explosion which killed 17, including foreigners, and wounded 56 others.

His aide Shaikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain alias Bilal (27), an LeT operative who ran a sleeper cell in Nashik and conducted recce of several key locations, including security establishments in Maharashtra, was arrested on the same day under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly plotting terror attacks.

“We are examining all legal options to see if we can invoke MCOCA against the two,” ATS chief Rakesh Maria said.

In order to invoke MCOCA, the police must furnish two previous charge sheets linking the accused to organised crime syndicates.

Alleged LeT operative Fayaz Kagzi, Indian Mujahideen (IM) members Mohammed Ahmed and Mohsin Choudhary are wanted for the Pune blast and figured in charge sheets in separate terror—related cases earlier, ATS said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.