Abu Salem attack case: Cops to quiz accused's wife, 3 others

The Navi Mumbai police today got permission from a sessions court to arrest Devendra Jagtap, alias JD, who allegedly fired two rounds with a country-made revolver at extradited gangster Abu Salem at the high-security Taloja jail on Thursday.

"We had to take the permission of the court to arrest him as he is an under-trial," said a police official.

Police sources also said that so far they have recorded the statements of at least 10 policemen who escorted JD from the sessions court to attend court hearing to the jail on Thursday before the incident. It is suspected that JD smuggled the gun inside the jail on that day.

"Now, we will also be questioning JD's wife and three others as they had met JD in the court," a source said.

Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner, A K Sharma, had yesterday said the weapon was sneaked inside the jail some days before the incident.

Police have already recorded the statement of Salem in this case. Meanwhile, sources said Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Meeran Borwankar will submit a report to State Home Minister R R Patil by Wednesday after an inquiry on security in the jail. Four policemen have already been suspended after they were indicted in a preliminary inquiry into the attack on Salem.

JD had fired two rounds at Salem, an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, who was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005 after a prolonged legal battle.
Investigators said Jagtap, an accused in the murder of advocate Shahid Azmi, who represented 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Faheem Ansari, had gone to Salem's cell around 8.30 pm and fired two rounds, one of which hit the gangster. However, the gun got jammed in the third attempt.