Mumbai, Apr 28: CID will today file status report on probe into the mysterious disappearance of Ghatkopar bomb blast accused Khwaja Yunus from police custody as directed by Bombay High Court. Hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by father of the accused, Khwaja Ayub, Justice S Radhakrishna and Justice R S Mohite allowed Asiya Begam to become petitioner in place of her husband as he died of cardiac failure.

On a plea made by lawyers Majeed Memon and Mihir Desai, the court allowed Asiya to amend the petition and become the petitioner herself as Ayub died of cardiac failure on April 18. The lawyers pleaded that it would not be possible for Asiya Begam to remain present as she was forbidden to come out during the "idat" period. The court, however, said that her presence would not be necessary.

Earlier, the court had come down heavily on CID for "shoddy" investigations into the mysterious disappearance of Yunus from police custody.

The court had asked the CID to record a fresh fir on the basis of the statement given by co-accused Mateen before a special court alleging that he had witnessed police assault on Yunus during interrogation. The state CID alleged that Yunus had died in custody due to police assault while crime branch claimed that he escaped when a police jeep taking him to Ahmednagar for probe met with an accident near Pune on January 07 last year.

Bureau Report