Police junk Abdul Karim Tunda's claim, says arrested at Indo-Nepal border

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police today rubbished in a court here the claim of top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda that he was not arrested in India, saying he was apprehended at the Indo-Nepal border.

Tunda, one of the 20 terrorists India had asked Pakistan to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, had claimed that he was arrested by the police in Nepal.

In its reply to Tunda's plea, special cell of Delhi Police told Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Amit Bansal that 72-year-old Tunda was arrested from the Indo-Nepal border at Banbasa in Uttarakhand.

Tunda, who was arrested on August 16 last year by the special cell, had claimed that "in fact, he was picked up from Nepal and brought to India" by the police.

In its reply, the police also gave details of four cases in which Tunda has been arrested so far.

The court, however, asked the special cell to furnish a detailed report giving the number of cases pending against Tunda.

Tunda, in his plea filed through advocate M S Khan, had sought details of the cases pending against him saying it was alleged that he was involved in more than 20 terror attack cases between 1994 and 1998 in Delhi and other states but till date, he has been arrested by police in only four cases.

The court has fixed the matter for hearing on January 21. Tunda was recently chargesheeted by the special cell in connection with the 1997 Sadar Bazar blasts case.

He was chargesheeted for the offences under sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and the police had claimed he was part of the conspiracy which led to two bomb blasts, one in Sadar Bazar and other in Qutab Road here, on October 1, 1997 in which several people were injured.

He is suspected to be involved in 40 bombings in India.