ATS constable sent cash to Malegaon blast accused: RTI

A police constable attached to Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had sent Rs 3,000 by money order in 2008 to an approver-turned-hostile accused, currently lodged in a Mumbai jail for his alleged role in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts, an RTI query has revealed.

In response to an RTI query filed by Gulzaar Azmi, general secretary (legal cell) of a socio-cultural organisation, Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra, it was found that Sadashiv Abhimanyu Patil, a constable attached to Nashik unit of ATS, had sent Rs 1,000 thrice to accused Abrar Ahmed through money order in August, September and November 2008 from his residential address at police headquarters in Nashik.

The RTI reply was received from city's Byculla jail on July 5, which gave details of money orders the 34-year-old accused had received between August 2008 and June 2011.

"The real face of ATS has been uncovered. Then ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi had falsely implicated Abrar and made him turn an approver saying that they would take care of him and his family and sent him money," Azmi alleged.

Through Patil, the ATS had sent money to Abrar so that he does not turn hostile in future, he claimed.

Abrar's brother and lawyer Jalil Ahmed said, "Strict action should be initiated against the constable and higher officials of ATS for such acts. Not only they falsely implicated my brother but also gave him money to turn approver and implicate others."

Ahmed said he started representing his brother since March 2009 following which Abrar decided to reveal the facts as to what had happened on the day and after the blasts. The accused had turned hostile in April 2009.

"In an affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court, Abrar has alleged how the senior police officials including Raghuvanshi had visited him in jail on several occasions and promised him money after he turned approver. Abrar's wife was also given money by the ATS officials," Ahmed claimed.

Abrar, an inverter dealer, was arrested on December 16, 2006 and immediately made an approver, his lawyer said.

On September 8, 2006, powerful blasts had occurred near Hamidia mosque in Bada Kabristan area in Malegaon after Shab-e-Barat prayers, killing 37 people and injuring over 100.

The ATS had arrested nine accused Salman Farsi, Shabir Ahmed, Noorulhuda Doha, Rais Ahmed, Mohammed Ali, Asif Khan, Javed Sheikh, Faroogue Ansari and Abrar Ahmed.

The accused got bail on November 5 as National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over the probe from CBI, chose not to oppose their plea for liberty. The accused are likely to be released from the jail in a day or two.

Despite repeated attempts, constable Patil and K P Raghuvanshi, who is now Thane police commissioner, could not be contacted.