'Baig stayed in touch with other accused via e-mail'

ATS tells court what it discovered from its interrogation of GB blast accused

Mirza Himayat Baig, the prime suspect in the German Bakery blast, had been in e-mail contact with the other accused in the case, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said in the Shivajinagar court yesterday.

The revelation came when Baig was produced in court for the extension of his police custody. The special court of magistrate Swaroop Bose gave Baig daeight more ys in police custody.

Public prosecutor A Vp Ausekar resented the findings of the ATS investigation so far, especially during the custodial interrogation of Baig.

Baig was arrested on September 9 in the city near the Mahatma Gandhi bus stand.Asking for a 10-day extension of Baig's custody, Ausekar argued that Baig had been in contact via e-mail with other accused who are wanted in the German Bakery blast conspiracy. "The ATS is verifying and examining the e-mail account of Baig and other details with the help of computer experts," Ausekar said.

The ATS had seized 10 hard disks from Baig's Global Internet Cafe in Udgir in Latur,, Marathwada, several mobile phones and a pen drive besides the fake documents he procured to assume different identities in different cities.

"Many other mobiles are yet to be recovered," Ausekar said. "Baig was using bank accounts which the ATS believes were opened with the help of fake documents and identities.

The ATS also believes that Baig had received funds from local as well as foreign members of the Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba outfits."

Baig's counsel Advocate A Rehman said, "If the ATS has evidence of Baig procuring fake documents, then why no forgery sections of the Indian Penal Code were applied against him?"

Rehman also produced media reports before the court and said that senior officers of the ATS like DIG Ravindra Kadam and ATS chief Rakesh Maria agreed that Baig was not present at the German Bakery when the blast happened.