The Supreme Court Tuesday restrained the Mumbai Police Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from arresting Taquee Ahmed, a south Delhi resident and brother of arrested 13/7 Mumbai triple blasts accused Naquee Ahmed.
The apex court bench of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J. Chelameswar while restraining Mumbai ATS from arresting Taquee Ahmed also issued notice to the central government, Delhi Police and Mumbai Police.
The court asked Taquee Ahmed to present himself in a local police station on every alternate day till Feb 21, when the matter would next come up for hearing.
Taquee Ahmed, who has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the terror strike, was told to report at the police station at 11 a.m.
He said he apprehended “threat to my life by the police officers in conspiracy with Mumbai ATS and it is apprehended that I would be liquidated in a fake encounter or in some false and fabricated case which has been a common practice of Mumbai Police in cracking the cases like this”.
Taquee Ahmed lives in Abu Fazal Enclave neighbourhood in south Delhi. The area witnessed high drama Monday when investigators from Mumbai reached his home to serve a notice asking him to join the probe in the case.
His petition said that he and his two brothers were earlier put under intense interrogation by Delhi Police and let them off saying that nothing incriminating was found against them.
Pointing to the dichotomy in the position of Delhi Police and Mumbai Police which are investigating the 13/7 Mumbai blasts case, Taquee Ahmed said that Jan 23 his brother Naquee Ahmed was presented before media in Mumbai as a facilitator of investigation and the next day he was projected by Mumbai Police as a key accused.
The petitioner said that his brother Naquee Ahmed had been made a scapegoat due to the differences between Delhi Police and Mumbai Police.
Three blasts at close intervals, July 13 last year, shook the country’s diamond and gold hubs – Opera House and Zaveri Bazar – and a busy commercial area of Dadar, killing at least 27 people and leaving around 125 injured.
Taquee Ahmed alleged that he was being implicated in a false case. He said investigation into the various provisions of the criminal law invoked against him involving criminal conspiracy, murder, unlawful activities and use of explosive substance should be transferred from Mumbai ATS to an independent agency like the CBI.
He said that he would not go with Mumbai ATS until they were accompanied by Delhi Police.
There are conflicting versions between Delhi police and Mumbai ATS on the status of Taquee Ahmed. While Delhi police maintained that Taquee Ahmed and his brother Naquee Ahmed were informers of investigators, Mumbai Police maintained that they were Indian Mujahideen terrorists.
