Ghatkopar blast accused booked under POTA

The Mumbai police on Friday booked four accused in the Ghatkopar bomb blast case under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

A local court remanded them to police custody till January 17. The blast, which took place on December 2 last year, killed two and injured 31.

Mohammed Abdul Mateen Abdul Baseed [28], Sayeed Khwaja Yunus Sayeed Khwaja Ayub [28], Sheikh Mohammed Muzamil Zamil Ahmed [27] and Zaheer Ahmed Bashir Ahmed Sheikh [27] were produced in the court of sessions judge A P Bhangale.

Though the four were initially booked under sections 302 [murder], 120-B [conspiracy], 307 [attempt to murder], 427 [mischief causing damage to property] and 34 [common intention] of the Indian Penal Code, the police also booked them under the Arms Act and POTA.

Other charges that were applied to the four included section 5 and 9 [b] of the Indian Explosives Act, section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act and section 3 of the Public Property Destruction Prevention Act.

Mateen was picked up from Aurangabad where he worked as a lecturer in a government medical college. Earlier, he was working in J J Hospital in Mumbai. After they were arrested, the police produced them in a city court on December 27, which remanded them to police custody till January 3.