Pak national made accused in youth recruitment case by NIA

The NIA's interim report in this regard was filed in the CBI special court here. Rehaman alias Wali has been made 24th accused in the October 2008 case relating to recruitment of some Keralites for terror activities. Four Keralites -- Fayas, Abdul Rahim, Mohammed Yasin and Fayes -- who were recruited, were killed in an encounter with security forces.

Rehaman was said to have operated from Hyderabad and had recruited Keralites with the help of alleged LeT operative T Nazeer, an accused in the Bangalore blast and Kalamassery bus burning cases.

The NIA also produced photographs of the four killed in the encounter and copies of the statement of witnesses who identified the deceased and submitted the same to the court.

After examining it, judge S Vijaykumar directed that relatives of the accused who had identified the bodies with the help of photographs, be examined. Counsel for Mohammed Ninar and two other accused contended they had not been given copies of post mortem certificates, inquest report and death certificates, and there was no proof of the death of the four accused.

The counsel's main allegation is that five were selected to join LeT and at the line of crossing, four were killed in an encounter with security forces and one accused escaped. The prosecution has not served any copy of the documents like post mortem certificates and death certificates of those killed.

The counsel submitted that the statement of senior SP shows that he had produced the documents to then investigating officer on January 9, 2009. But the prosecution had wilfully suppressed the same and no copies of the said documents were supplied to them.

The petitioners believe that Fayes and Mohammed Yasin are still alive but are not coming forward in fear of the real culprits who are in league with influential persons.

"Two other accused, Ninar and Shenej, have been in custody from November 9 last year and if the trial is not started, the same will cause irreparable injury, loss and damage to them and their family members," the counsel contended.