By TCN News,
Mangalore: The family of Abdul Samad Bhatkal, who was arrested on May 24 in connection with the Pune German Bakery blast of February 13, 2010, has made public the video of a wedding in Mangalore wherein Bhatkal is seen serving food to guests.
Bhatkal was arrested on Monday after investigators matched his face with CCTV images of the German Bakery. He is alleged to have planted bomb at the bakery. However, the Bhatkal family has strongly denied his involvement in the blast. In their defence they have released the video of the wedding of Samad’s uncle Mohammad Ibrahim’s son.
Though there is no way to tell the date of the wedding by seeing the video, says an NDTV report. The visuals of the wedding card, however, say it was on February 5 and 6 this year. The Bhatkal family further says Samad remained at the wedding in Mangalore right up to the reception on February 15. The Pune blast took place on February 13.
The video is a strong proof that may make the Maharashtra ATS and Home Minister P Chidambaram red-faced.
Soon after Samad was picked from Mangalore’s Bajpe airport soon after he arrived on an Air India Express flight from Dubai at 8:30 am on May 24, Maharashtra ATS declared it arrested the prime suspect of Pune blast of February 2010 that claimed 17 lives. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram spent no time and issued a statement in New Delhi complimenting the Maharashtra ATS for identifying Samad as prime accused in the Pune blasts. His arrest was considered a major breakthrough and lauding the police action Chidambaram said: “I compliment ATS Maharashtra, the Pune Police and central agencies on apprehending the prime suspect within hundred days of the incident.”
But 24 hours after he was picked, Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) sought his police remand in an arms case, not in the Pune blast case as the interrogators could not get much in 24 hours of questioning. Mazgaon Metropolitan Magistrate on May 25 sent him into police custody till June 1.
Video of the wedding
[Photo and Video by NDTV]