Raipur: Police custody of SIMI members extended

RAIPUR: A local court today extended the police remand of four suspected SIMI activists, arrested here in connection with Patna serial blasts, till November 27.

Seven other members of the banned outfit were sent in judicial remand till December 6.

"Chief Judicial Magistrate Alok Kumar has extended the police remand of Umer Siddhiqui, Sheikh Habib Ulla, Roshan Sheikh and Hayat Khan upto November 27. They were in police remand till today after being arrested last week," their lawyer Amin Khan told reporters.

Sheikh Ajijullah, Moinuddin Kureshi, Abdul Wahid, Md Aziz, Md Dawood, Md Aslam and Sheikh Subhan were sent in judicial remand till December 6.

The court also allowed a family member of each of the accused to meet them in the jail. So far, relatives had not been allowed to meet the accused, advocate Khan said.

Siddhiqi (35), who runs a coaching class in the city, and his associates allegedly provided shelter to the four absconding culprits of Patna serial blasts -- Haider Ali alias Abdulla, Numan Alam alias Firoz, Taufiq alias Asif and Mujibulla -- after the incident.

By the time police raided the rented house, they had fled.

Police also claim Siddhiqui was the mastermind of the blasts at Bodh Gaya temple complex in Bihar in July and he had also planned attack on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi during his rallies.