Four persons taken into custody by NIA

A team of NIA and Maharashtra ATS officials has been conducting searches at various places in the city since Wednesday night, following which it detained four persons, including Dr Rehan Shaikh (unani medicine practitioner), Wasim Chishti and Zakiuddin Nizamoddin, yesterday, police said.

The identity of the fourth person was not available.

Four computers, a printer, some CDs and maps were seized from Rehan Shaikh's house in Kazi Nagar area of city.

The investigating teams also found Rs 26 lakh cash and about 250 photographs of youths along with their biodatas from Shaikh's house and have been questioning him about it, police sources said.

During the last two days, NIA officials raided four houses in different areas of the city and seized some passports and other documents, police sources said.

On whether the detention was related to the recent Pune blasts or the 26/11 attacks, Beed Superintendent of Police Dattatray Mandlik said, "It was a routine check-up by NIA which has been carrying out searches in connection with terror cases. I urge the people not to panic and believe in rumours."

Beed has been in news as the 26/11 handler and LeT operative Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, who was arrested in June, hailed from the district.