In a new revelation, sources have said that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad was to tell the Pune court that they no longer needed IM operative Qateel Siddiqui’s custody and he could be handed over to the Delhi police. However, hours before he was to be produced there on Friday afternoon, he was killed in the Yerawada Jail. Officers said that they had gathered enough evidence and extracted vital information from Siddiqui while he was in their custody.
Siddiqui was booked by the ATS in December 2011 for attempting to plant a bomb near Dagduseth Halwai’s Ganesh Mandal in Pune. “Yasin Bhatkal had engaged two groups in Pune. One group, led by Himayat Baig, planted the bomb in German Bakery that blasted, but Siddiqui could not place the bomb as the owner of the stall where he wanted to plant the bomb refused to let him leave the bag there,” said a source.
“The ATS took his custody from a Delhi court on May 5 this year and he remained in their custody till May 28, following which he was sent to Yerawada Jail under judicial custody. His identification parade was conducted on May 31 and he was slated to be produced before the court on Friday. The ATS was to tell the court that they no longer needed his custody,” he added.
The officer said that his death would hamper the case, as he was the only accused who was arrested while the masterminds — Yasin, Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal — are still on the run.
Siddiqui (26) hailed from Samastipur in Bihar and had gone to Delhi to pursue higher studies. Here, IM member Gohar Komari, who had employed Siddiqui in 2009, introduced him to Yasin Bhatkal. “Siddiqui’s young daughter was ill and Bhatkal gave him `1 lakh for her treatment. Bhatkal further gave him `25,000 in 2010 after he helped Bhatkal get a room on rent in Samastipur while Bhatkal was on the run,” said the officer.