3 HC blast suspects brought to Delhi

The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday brought all the three accused -- arrested in connection with sending an email claiming responsibility for the high court blast -- to Delhi where they are likely to be questioned extensively.

The three -- Shariq Ahmed, Abid Hussain and Amir Abbas Dev -- were brought to the national capital by a NIA team led by Deputy Inspector General Mukesh Singh and are likely to be produced before a magistrate for further remand.

The team was accompanied by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Doda) Muneesh Singh of Jammu and Kashmir Police, who will be assisting the NIA in its probe, official sources said.

While Dev, who was arrested by NIA on September 16, was remanded to police custody for seven days, the other two -- Shariq and Hussain -- were arrested on September 13 and have been sent to police custody for 10 days.

The three were taken on a transit remand, after which they would be produced before a magistrate in Delhi, during which the NIA would seek the court's permission for questioning them and carrying out scientific tests on them.

The probe had hit a roadblock when Dev retracted his earlier statement in which he had admitted to his role in the terror attack.

Dev has withdrawn his earlier "detailed statement" about his role in the blast, sources said, adding that the police was facing difficulties in corroborating his earlier statement, as there were many loopholes.

The sources said Dev has now denied any connection with the blast. He is being questioned at length about his alleged role in sending an e-mail barely two hours after the September 7 blast.

Dev is accused of handing over the draft mail three days before the blast to two high school students. He had earlier told the investigators that an e-mail claiming responsibility on behalf of HuJI was sent on his directions, the sources said.

He is alleged to have drafted the mail and then handed it over to the two boys with the instruction that it was to be mailed to media houses immediately after they hear about the blasts in the national capital.

The two boys were the first to have been arrested by the police for sending the mail.

As sleuths are still struggling for a breakthrough, the sources said there was a possibility that the two could be part of a larger conspiracy behind the terror strike.

They have been booked under IPC Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 134-A (attack on government servant on duty).

"We own responsibility of the blast at the high court, Delhi. Our demand is that Afzal Guru's death sentence should be repealed immediately as we would target major high courts and the Supreme Court of India," the terror mail had said.

The NIA has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for anybody who gives information about the perpetrators of the blast.