1993 Mumbai serial blasts case: 4 accused held from Gujarat sent to judicial custody

A special CBI court here on Monday remanded four persons, arrested from Gujarat earlier this month in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, to judicial custody for 14 days.

The four accused - Abu Bakar, Saiyad Qureshi, Mohammad Shoeb Qureshi and Mohammad Yusuf Ismail - all residents of Mumbai, were nabbed by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Sardarnagar area of Ahmedabad on May 12 following a specific tip-off. They were later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the serial blasts case.

The four accused were produced before special CBI judge RR Bhosale at the end of their initial remand on Monday. The CBI sought an extension of their custody for another 14 days. However, the court rejected the plea and sent them to judicial custody.

The accused were on the run for 29 years before being caught earlier this month. To hide their real identity, they had prepared passports using forged documents. A preliminary probe established that these four are wanted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blast case, a Gujarat police official had earlier said. The Interpol had also issued a Red Corner Notice against them on the CBI's request, the official added.

In March 1993, 12 serial blasts in Mumbai had killed 257 people and left over 1,400 others injured.