Letters to blast accused were sent from City prison, say police

The letters seized from Shahanas P A, an associate of the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts case prime accused Thadiyantavide Nazeer (T Nazeer), were dispatched from the Bengaluru Central Prisons at Parappana Agrahara.

The City police, who have examined the letters seized from the accused in Kerala, have found that the accused who are in the Central Prison handed over the letters, addressed to the witnesses forcing them to turn hostile, through visitors at the prison. A senior officer said the negligence of the prison staff had led to the letters being dispatched from the prison.

The City police had registered nine cases in connection with the serial blasts that took place on July 25, 2008 in which a woman was killed and several others sustained injuries. The trial in these cases is going on a daily basis before the 48th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court. Sources said that a team of officials which has gone to Ernakulam found eight letters in the possession of Shahanas.

According to an official, these letters are only a few left with him, while some have been destroyed.

“A police team from the City has gone to Ernakulam to question Shahanas. It is learnt that he has a few letters in his possession which directs to threaten the witnesses in the cases faced by People's Democratic Party leader Abdul Nasser Maudany and others. The letters state that they (Nazeer's associates) should manage to threaten the witnesses and also ensure that no statements are made against Maudany. The team will investigate to ascertain the truth and if required the arrested person will be brought to the City for further interrogation,'' an official said.

This is not the first time that the accused in 2008 serial blasts case are facing case of threatening investigating officers and witnesses. In 2011, Investigating Officer (IO) - the then Assistant Commissioner of Police Omkaraiah - had filed a complaint (case number 298/11) against one of the accused, Nawaz, of threatening him. A charge sheet was filed in the case and he was acquitted. Later, in 2013 a police sub-inspector had filed a case against Maudany (No 176/13) for threatening him. Last November prime accused T Nazeer had threatened one of the witnesses in the case - Ribi Kurian - when the latter was walking towards the special court to depose.

A case (455/2014) was registered against T Nazeer with the Parappana Agrahara police station. Charge sheets have been filed in the last two cases.

This is not all. In October this year, the State Government had moved an application before the trial court under Section 340 of CrPC for a case of perjury against one of the witnesses who turned hostile. It was stated that one Rafeeq, a witness in the case, had given voluntary statement under Section 164 of CrPC before the magistrate during the investigation stage. However, he subsequently turned hostile during the trial.