Court extends police custody of 3 'IM operatives' by 10 days

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidya Parkash extended the police custody of Asad Khan, 33, Imran Khan, 31 and Syed Feroze, 38, who police claimed had carried out blasts in Pune in August and had also planned to carry out strikes in Delhi and a temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar during the Dussehra and Diwali festivals.

While seeking extension of their custody, the police, meanwhile, also told the court that it has arrested a fourth IM operative, involved in the Pune blast case.

The fourth man, arrested from Maharashtra, is in custody of Special Cell till October 30.

The police told the court that Asad, Imran and Syed have to be confronted with this fourth man to unearth the entire conspiracy.

It also told the court that the source of explosives recovered from the trio is yet to be ascertained. Besides this, certain call details have to be retrieved and the forensic opinion on e-mail accounts and e-mails is yet to be received.

The plea for extension of the trio's police custody was opposed by their counsel M S Khan who said the probe agency should first tell the court as to what it has unearthed during their interrogation in last 20 days.

Asad, who is alleged to be a "recruiter, motivator and IM ideologue" and Imran were arrested on September 26 from their hideout in Pul Prehladpur in South Delhi, while Firoze was apprehended from Nizamuddin Railway station five days later.