Court to issue warrants against abconders in 26/11 case

Three witnesses, all police officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, were examined in the November 26 terror attacks trial on Monday. The first witness Dilip Gorhe, a police inspector deputed at the CST, said he had carried out panchnama of articles like a bag dropped by arrested gunman Mohammed Kasab, grenades and empty cartridges. The second witness Pandarnath Yeram, who was also deputed at the terminus, said he was present when a bag left behind by attackers was found containing RDX on December 3. Yeram said he had been called by a constable examining baggage at the parcel room of the terminus after a suspicious bag was found there. Subsequently the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad were called, who identified it as an explosive device and the entire area was cleared. The bomb was defused and was found to contain seven kg of RDX.

On seeing the RDX, Special Judge M L Tahaliyani said it should not be stored in the court and instructed police to send the explosives to the Directorate of Explosives and give an application to dispose it. The third witness examined by the court was police official Suraj Padvi, who also conducted panchnama of dead bodies. The court also said it would pass its order on the application seeking warrants against 35 persons wanted in the case on Tuesday.

In the November 26 terror attack case, most of the absconding accused are believed to be in Pakistan and thus the government will have to approach the Pakistan authorities through Interpol for execution of the warrants. If the absconding accused do not respond to the non-bailable warrants then they will be declared as proclaimed offenders. Of the 27 absconders, Hafeez Saeed, was recently discharged on technical grounds by a Pakistan court in connection with the November 26 terror attacks case.

He is wanted in India as lone surviving gunman Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, who unleashed terror attacks in Mumbai, has implicated him in his confession saying Hafeez Saeed was an alleged mastermind. Besides, Saeed and Laqvi, other absconding accused against whom warrants have been sought are Abu Hamza, Abu Al Kama alias Amjid, Abu Kaahfa, Mujjamil alias Yusuf, Zarar Shah, Abu Fahad Ullah, Abu Abdul Rehman, Abu Anas, Abu Bashir, Abu Imran, Abu Mufti Saeed, Abu Umar Saeed, Mohammed Ishfak, Javid Iqbal, Sajid Iftikhar, Col. R. Saadat Ullah, Khurram Shahdad, Abu Abdurrehman, Abu Mavia, Abu Anis, Abu Bashir, Abu Hanjla Pathan, Abu Saria, Abu Saif ur- Rehman and Abu Imran.