By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: A Special Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Monday discharged Sadiq Sheikh, alleged co-founder of Indian Mujahideen (IM), in the 7/11 Mumbai local train serial blasts case, leaving the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police red faced.
Justice Y D Shinde of special MCOCA court let Sadiq Sheikh, an Azamgarh native, off after the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) submitted before the court that it could not get any evidence about his involvement in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts.
Sadiq Sheikh, 33, a software engineer by profession, was arrested by the Mumbai Police on September 24 last year along with 20 other suspected IM operatives for sending terror emails and executing blasts across the country since 2005. The arrests were made five days after the infamous Batla House encounter in New Delhi’s Jamia Nagar area. In the shootout two alleged IM operatives, also from Azamgarh, were killed. After the arrest of Sheikh and others Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria had reportedly told the media that Sheikh was involved in the Mumbai train blasts too.
Five months after his arrest by the Mumbai Police, the ATS took his custody in February this year after the crime branch claimed he was involved in the Mumbai train blasts also. Last week the agency told the MCOCA court that after carrying out scientific tests, polygraph and brain mapping tests on Sheik it could not find sufficient materials indicating to his involvement in the case. Subsequently the agency filed a petition in the court to discharge Sheikh in the case. Accepting agency’s petition the court ordered Sheikh’s acquittal. The police had earlier told that Sheikh confessed before the crime branch about his involvement in July 11, 2006 train.
In the July 11, 2006 Mumbai local train serial bomb blasts that took place at seven suburban trains 183 persons were killed while nearly 829 others were injured.
Sheikh’s acquittal has given some hope to other accused persons in the case who claim they are innocent.