Maharashtra Police forced us to confess, says Bhatkal

Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah Akhtar told a court here Tuesday that they were "forced" by Maharashtra Police to give confessional statements in connection with cases against them there.

Bhatkal and Akhtar told District Judge I.S. Mehta at the Patiala House court here that Maharashtra Police threatened that they would be compelled to commit suicide in custody.

The two were presented before the Delhi court during an in-chamber hearing in pursuance of production warrants issued against them.

An application moved by M.S. Khan, defence counsel of both the accused, pleaded for "retraction of their statements recorded during the custody of Maharashtra Police".

The court has taken the application on record.

The National Investigation Agency last month charge-sheeted Bhatkal, Akhtar, Manzar Imam and U. Ahmed for their alleged role in the conspiracy and commission of major terror attacks in various parts of the country.

It was the second charge sheet filed in the case registered Sep 10, 2012 against Indian Mujahideen members for carrying out terrorist activities and conspiracy for waging war against India.

The NIA said Bhatkal with other Indian Mujahideen operatives were involved in major bomb blasts - in Hyderabad (2007), Jaipur (2008), Delhi (2008), Ahmedabad and Surat (2008), German Bakery in Pune (2010), Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore (2010), Jama Masjid in Delhi (2010), Sheetlaghat (2010), Mumbai (2011) and Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad (2013).

In July 2013, the NIA had charge-sheeted five Indian Mujahideen cadres -- Mohammad Danish Ansari, Mohammad Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, Syed Maqbool and Obaid-ur-Rehman -- under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code for conspiracy to commit offences against the state.

The court remanded both the accused to judicial custody till April 29 and issued production warrants against co-accused Obaid-Ur-Rehman, who is lodged in a Bangalore jail, sources said.