Hyderabad: Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal was on Monday sent to 15-days custody of NIA by a local court following his arrest in connection with the February 21 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts cases here.
Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa, alias Yasin Bhatkal, was produced by NIA officials before the court of First Additional Metropolitan Session Judge here this afternoon amid tight security, which earlier sent him in judicial remand till October 17.
The NIA counsel then moved a police custody petition seeking custodial interrogation of Bhatkal (who has been named as an accused in the cases) alleging the funding for the terror operation was routed through hawala transactions and there was a need to identify the members of this hawala racket and it was possible to get these details only through his custodial interrogation.
To know the hawala racket and the source of explosives, there was a need to take him (Yasin Bhatkal) to various places across the country after taking him into custody, the police petition said.
After arguments and counter arguments from the prosecution and defence, the court allowed the NIA petition and sent Bhatkal to 15-days custody of the agency from tomorrow till October 8 with a direction that he be produced before the court on completion of the custodial interrogation period on October 9.
In the petition, the NIA also said that during the interrogation in connection with a case in Delhi, an alleged close associate of Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar, alias Tabrez alias Haddi, had mentioned his involvement along with Waqas in causing an explosion at Hyderabad on the instructions of Pakistan-based Riyaz Bhatkal who has been named as accused number one in connection with the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts.
According to the petition, Tabrez also confessed Riyaz had supplied explosives to him through unidentified persons in the third week of January 2013 and also the involvement of Yasin Bhatkal in the conspiracy.Earlier, after production before the court, the judge asked Yasin Bhatkal his name and to which place he belongs, to which the accused replied as Yasin Bhatkal and that he is a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka.
The judge further asked whether the police treated him properly, to which he replied in an affirmative nod.
Subsequently, Bhatkal was handed over copies of remand report and necessary documents pertaining to the two cases registered for the twin blasts.
On September 21, Bhatkal was granted two days transit remand by a Delhi court after his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and was brought to the city yesterday from the national capital.
Asadullah Akhtar, an alleged close associate of Bhatkal, who was earlier arrested by NIA, is now being interrogated after a local court sent him in 15-day custody of NIA on September 19.
Seventeen people were killed and 100 others injured in the blasts that were triggered by powerful IEDs planted near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in the city, on February 21 this year.
After an initial probe by Andhra Pradesh police, NIA had taken over the case.
Bhatkal and Asadullah, suspected of carrying out several blasts across the country, were arrested by security agencies on Indo-Nepal border last month.
PTI
