NIA gets 15-day custody of Bhatkal

Asked to identify himself and the place he hailed from, the accused replied that he was Yasin Bhatkal, and that he was from Bhatkal in Karnataka

Dilsukhnagar blasts accused Yasin Bhatkal being brought to Nampally criminal court in Hyderabad.

A local court on Monday sent Dilsukhnagar blasts accused and Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal to judicial remand till October 17.

Amidst tight security, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) produced Bhatkal before the court.

He was asked to identify himself and the place he hailed from, to which the accused replied that he was Yasin Bhatkal, and that he was from Bhatkal in Karnataka. The court asked him if he had been treated properly by the police, to which he nodded affirmatively. A copy of the remand report was also handed over to him.

Responding to a petition filed by the NIA seeking Bhatkal’s custody, the court granted a 15-day custody to the agency. Bhatkal’s close aide Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi is also in a 15-day custody of the NIA. Sources said agency officials would question both Bhatkal and Akhtar on how they had triggered blasts in different parts of the country.

“We will be able to find out how they managed to get funds through hawala for carrying out blasts and the places from where they had purchased the explosives,” sources added.