Abu Jundal gets life term in 2006 arms case
The designated Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Tuesday sentenced 26/11 handler and convict in the Aurangabad arms haul case Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal to life imprisonment. Six others were also awarded life imprisonment by special judge S.L. Anekar.
Of the 12 convicts, the court sentenced two to 14 years and three others to eight years in jail.
On July 28, the court upheld the prosecution’s claim that this was a conspiracy after the 2002 Gujarat riots to eliminate then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and VHP leader Praveen Togadia and acquitted eight accused.
Political targets
The 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case relates to the conspiracy in which 22 accused had procured huge amount of arms and explosives to allegedly target political leaders to avenge the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Based on a tip-off, the plan was foiled by a team of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). On May 8, 2006, the squad chased a Tata Sumo and a Tata Indica car on the Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad and arrested three terror suspects — Mohammed Aamir Shakil Ahmed, Mohammed Juber Sayyed Anwar and Abdul Azeem Abdul Jameel Shaikh alias Raja — from the Tata Sumo.
Abu Jundal drove vehicle with arms to Malegaon
According to the prosecution in the Aurangabad arm haul case, in May 2006, a massive consignment of arms and explosives was transported in an unknown army-green tempo to Pimpli-Dhulia village where some of Pakistani nationals along with Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal and other accused shifted the consignment into a Tata Sumo and Tata Indica before transporting it.
The Tata Indica, which was allegedly driven by Abu Jundal, currently in Arthur Road jail for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, had under mysterious circumstances managed to escape the ATS team that was chasing them, while the Sumo with weapons was intercepted.
RDX, rifles seized
The ATS team had later recovered the Tata Indica, and in total seized 30 kg RDX packed in the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets.
Escape to Bangladesh
Jundal allegedly drove to Malegaon and handed over the vehicle to an acquaintance.
Later in May 2006, he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan on a fake passport obtained with the help of LeT operatives, according to the crime branch. Jundal was arrested in 2012, after his deportation to India.
100 witnesses examined
The prosecution examined total 100 witnesses and more than 2000 documents to show that the arms were found in the possession of the accused.
The prosecution has also relied on the confessional statement of ten accused wherein they revealed the details of conspiracy and involvement of other accused.