Court remands Abdul Karim Tunda in four days' police custody

NEW DELHI: Top Lashkar-e-Taiba bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda was on Saturday remanded in four days' police custody by a court here in connection with various bomb blast cases in 1997 and for allegedly helping Pakistani nationals to infiltrate into India.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police produced Tunda before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Bansal and sought 10 days' custody for interrogation, saying it had to establish the source of explosives which were provided to various Pakistani nationals arrested in 1998 in connection with 37 bomb blasts.

Police told court that the bomb blasts had taken place in 1997 in Delhi and adjoining areas and 20 cases had been registered over those.

"Contacts of the accused (Tunda), who helped in illegal infiltration of Pakistani nationals arrested in present case, are to be located/verified. Source of explosives is to be established.

"Accused belongs to Pilkhua, Uttar Pradesh, from where the recovery of explosives was effected, and he is to be interrogated thoroughly in this regard," the special cell told the court.

Advocate MS Khan, appearing for Tunda, opposed the police plea saying most of the accused arrested earlier in connection with these 20 cases had been acquitted as the recovery of explosives was not established.

Khan also argued that there was no evidence to show that those arrested earlier had been in touch with Tunda.

During the day, Tunda, who is to be in police custody till tomorrow in connection with a separate case lodged in 1994, was also produced before Additional Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma.

Sharma remanded Tunda to judicial custody till September 21 after police said he was not required for further custodial interrogation in connection with the 1994 case.