Two suspected SIMI members get bail in arms seizure case

A court here has granted bail to two alleged members of the banned organisation SIMI, arrested last Month in connection with a 2006 arms seizure case in Maharashtra.

The accused, Ejaj Akram Khan (40) and his brother Elyas, were arrested from Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, respectively, on December 12 by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

They were wanted in a case registered against members of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), a banned outfit, in adjoining Thane district under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2006, police have said.

The case relates to seizure of arms and ammunition, they have said.

The duo was granted by bail on Monday by Additional Sessions Judge R M Sadrani.

Arguing for their bail, their advocates Owais Siddiqui and Atique Sheikh told the court there was no evidence to show the two were members of the SIMI.

The Khan brothers have been falsely implicated in the case, the lawyers claimed.

In 2006, the ATS had recovered a large quantity of explosives and arms from Nalasopara, a town then under Thane district. The town, a distant suburb of Mumbai, is now in Palghar district which came into existence in 2014 after bifurcation of Thane.

According to the ATS, the duo was associated with the SIMI and were suspected to be involved in procuring arms and explosives seized by the anti-terror agency.