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Mumbai police likely to seek extension of Jundal's custody

July 30, 2012 20:37 IST

Mumbai police are likely to seek extension of Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative and 26/11 handler Sayed Ansari alias Abu Jundal's custody on several grounds including that he is yet to elaborate on the role of other conspirators and that his voice samples are needed to be taken.

Jundal was arrested in the 26/11 case on July 21 by the Mumbai police after he was brought to Mumbai from Delhi where he was apprehended in another case. He has been remanded in police custody till July 31 by the esplanade court in Mumbai.

A crime branch officer said extension of Jundal's custody was required as he was yet to reveal many details pertaining to the terror conspiracy and handlers. "Jundal has been co-operative so far but we still believe that he is hiding certain things. His voice samples also need to be taken," the officer added.

The 31-year-old terror suspect is also wanted in other cases in Maharashtra like the 2006 arms haul case, the 2010 German Bakery blast in Pune and the plan to attack Nashik Police Academy.

On November 26, 2008, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani gunman, who is now behind the bars, and nine others had landed here by sea and gone on a shooting spree at various places including the Taj Mahal Hotel, Nariman House, Oberoi Hotel and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, killing 166 people.

Jundal's voice samples are required so that they can be matched with the telephonic talks with the attackers during the dastardly assault, police said.

Jundal, who completed first year of MA (Hindi) course from K S K college in Beed district in Maharashtra, was assigned the task of training the members of the 26/11 suicide squad in that language so that the attackers would divert the attention of Indian security agencies by communicating in

Hindi, a senior crime branch official had said.

After the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had seized arms in Aurangabad in 2006, Jundal had managed to escape to Pakistan via Bangladesh with the help of two Indian operatives of the terror organisation, police had said.

He had used four email addresses and 10 international SIM cards while he was hiding in Saudi Arabia where he was also given a task of recruiting young men into the terror outfit, the police added.