26/11 handler Abu Jundal and others have been found guilty in 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case by the MCOCA court in Mumbai on Thursday. The MCOCA court Judge S.L. Anekar upheld the prosecution's claim that this was a conspiracy after 2002 Gujarat riots to eliminate then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and VHP leader Praveen Togadia.
The 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case was where 22 accused had procured huge amount of arms and explosives to allegedly target political leaders accused for the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Based on a tip-off, the plan was foiled by a team of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). On May 8, 2006, the squad chased a Tata Sumo and a Tata Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects — Mohammed Aamir Shakil Ahmed, Mohammed Juber Sayyed Anwar and Abdul Azeem Abdul Jameel Shaikh alias Raja — who were in the Tata Sumo.
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The Tata Indica car, which was allegedly driven by Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal currently in Arthur Road jail for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, had under mysterious circumstances managed to escape the ATS team that was chasing them.
The ATS team had later recovered the Tata Indica, and in total had seized 30 kg RDX packed in cental processing unit (CPU) of computer, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets.
Jundal allegedly drove to Malegaon and handed over the vehicle to an acquaintance. In May 2006 itself, he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan on a fake passport obtained with the help of LeT operatives, according to the crime branch. Jundal was arrested in 2012, after his deportation to India.
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According to the prosecution, the consignment came in an unknown army-green coloured tempo at Pimpli-Dhulia village where some of Pakistani nationals along with Abu Jundal and other accused shifted the consignment into the Tata Sumo and Tata Indica before transporting it.
The prosecution examined total 100 witnesses and more than 2000 documents to show that the arms were found from the possession of the accused. The prosecution has also relied on the confession statement of ten accused wherein they have revealed the details of conspiracy and involvement of other accused.