Maharashtra court extends police custody of LeT operative

The 27-year-old was arrested for allegedly preparing to carry out terror attacks in Maharashtra. He was today produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate K D Boche on expiry of his ATS custody. His police custody was extended till September 20.

The ATS officials sought the custody extension stating that additional 700 grams of RDX was recovered from him during the probe and they want to interrogate him more over his stay in Pakistan and Bangladesh, said Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar.

According to ATS, Bilal had visited LeT camps in Pakistan between January 2008 and early 2010 where he received advanced training in use of sophisticated weapons and making bombs. He had sneaked into India three times during the period through the porous Bangladesh and Nepal borders.

Bilal conducted recee of the Army's Deolali camp, Maharashtra Police Academy here and Police Commissionerate in Nashik since May this year, it said.Bilal is linked to Mirza Himayat Baig (29), another LeT operative arrested for the February 13 Pune bomb blast. Bilal is alleged to have provided logistical support to Baig, but the former has not been charged in the Pune blast that killed 17 persons.