31 chargesheeted in church blast cases

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, OCT. 21. The Corps of Detectives (CoD) has completed the investigation into the blasts at churches in Wadi, Hubli and Bangalore, and has filed three separate chargesheets against 31 persons, including four Pakistani nationals and an Indian Air Force (IAF) Officer, before the jurisdictional courts.

The Director-General of Police (CoD), Mr. V.V. Bhaskar, told presspersons here today that chargesheets had been filed against the mastermind behind the blasts, Syed Zia-ul- Hassan, the Pakistan-based chief of Deendar Anjuman and Jamatiet- e-Hijbullah Mujaheedin, and his three sons, Syed Khalid Pasha, Syed Adil Pasha, and Syed Jaheed Pasha, who are residents of Mardan in Pakistan.

In the absence of an extradition treaty between India and Pakistan, legal process would be initiated to get the accused arrested by serving ``Red Corner Notice'' through the Interpol, Mr. Bhaskar said.

Under Section 105 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the jurisdictional courts would be requested to serve summons for the arrest of the four Pakistanis. Along with the copies of the summons served by the courts, the evidence gathered by the CoD would be sent to the Interpol Wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is the nodal agency to interact with the Interpol.

In turn, the CBI would serve Red Corner Notices through the Interpol. By serving Red Corner Notices, the member nations of the Interpol would be alerted about the accused and there by they could be arrested and extradited, Mr. Bhaskar said.

He said chargesheets had been filed against 18 persons for the explosion at St. Peter and Paul Church in Bangalore, 16 in connection with the explosion at St. Lutheran Church in Hubli and 19 for the blast at St. Anne's Church in Wadi. Some of them have been chargesheeted in all the three cases. An IAF officer, Syed Hassan-Ul-Zama, has also been chargesheeted.

The 31 accused have been charged for sedition, promoting enmity between religious groups, mischief, and conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as the Explosives Act and the Explosives Substances Act.

While 22 of the accused were arrested by the Karnataka Police, the rest were either nabbed by the police forces of other States or are still absconding, Mr. Bhaskar said.

With the filing of chargesheets in regard to all the three cases, the investigation concluded on Friday. ``The courts have taken cognisance of the chargesheets, and the law has been set in motion,'' the DGP said.

However, the investigation into the van bomb blast in Magadi Road police limits in Bangalore is yet to be completed. The lone survivor in the blast, S.M.Ibrahim, has also been chargesheeted for explosions at the churches, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bhaskar said that the CoD was in constant touch with the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of the Union Government to scientifically prove the cyber crime committed by the accused. He said that Internet was used to transfer sensitive information and diagrams of vital Indian defence establishments to Pakistan.

The Inspector-General of Police (CoD), Mr. K. Srikumar, who replied to queries about the cyber crime, said the challenge before the investigating agency now was to trace the ``source'' from which the information was passed to Pakistan through the internet. The Home Minister, Mr. M. Mallikarjuna Kharge, and the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, Mr. C. Dinakar, who were present, said the investigating teams which worked under Mr. Bhaskar's supervision would be suitably rewarded.

The teams comprised the IGP, Mr. Srikumar, the DIGPs, Mr. H.C. Kishore Chandra and Mr. B. Jyothi Prakash Mirji, the SPs, Dr. P. Ravindranath and Mr. M.R. Poojar, the Dy. SP, Mr. Appanna and the Inspector, Mr. V.S. D'Souza, and the legal advisor, Mr. Venkat Rao.

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