Three Tunda aides remanded in judicial custody

Three close aides of LeT bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda were today sent to judicial custody till October 28 in connection with a case lodged against them for allegedly helping in infiltration of Pakistani and Bangladeshi terrorists into India in 1997.

Tunda's aides Allauddin, Mohd Basiruddin and Mohd Zakaria were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash after expiry of their judicial custody and the special cell of Delhi Police said their custody be extended as the probe into the case was going on.

The court allowed the plea of the police and extended the 14-day judicial custody of the three accused till October 28.

The special cell had earlier claimed that Allauddin and Basiruddin had met Tunda in 1994 through Tunda's father-in-law Zakaria before joining banned terror outfit LeT.

The trio was accused of helping Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals, allegedly involved in various terror strikes in 1997 in India, to infiltrate into the country.

The three accused, who were lodged in separate jails in West Bengal in connection with cases lodged there, were earlier produced before the court here after issuance of production warrants against them.

Tunda is one of the 20 terrorists whom India had asked Pakistan government to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

He is suspected to be involved in 40 bombings in India. He is the first on the list to be arrested. Tunda was arrested from Indo-Nepal border at Banbasa on August 16.

He was earlier remanded in police custody for questioning in connection with 37 bomb blast cases across the country.

A number of Pakistani nationals and others were arrested in 1998 in connection with the 37 bomb blasts in and around Delhi.