Six years after the serial blasts at busy spots in Hyderabad claimed more than 40 lives, a local court in Hyderabad on Wednesday framed the charges against four alleged operatives of the Indian Mujahideen.
After the Counter Intelligence Cell of Hyderabad Police produced the four accused — Anique Shafeeq Syed, Mohammed Sadiq, Akbar Ismail Choudhary and Ansar Ahmed Badshah Sheikh — before the second metropolitan magistrate court, charges were framed against them.
The four accused, arrested by Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorist Squad in 2008 and kept in different jails since then, have been charged with planting bombs at lumbini Park, Gokul Chat Bhandar and Dilsukhnagar area on August 25, 2007. While the first two bombs exploded killing more than 40 people, one bomb under a foot overbridge at Dilsukhnagar was defused in time. It was almost the same place where another bomb exploded on February 21 killing 18 people.
The four were among the 20 alleged IM operatives arrested by the Maharashtra Police in connection with serial blasts at different places in the country including Gujarat. They have also been charted under MCOC Act of Maharashtra.
Prosecution has charged that the four IM operatives had carried out the blasts in Hyderabad at the behest of Riyaz Bhatka of Indian Mujahideen. While Bhatkal has been charged with planting the bomb at popular eating joint Gokul Chat at Kothik and Anique Shafeeq Syed planted the mob at lumbini Park, Akbar Ismail Choudhary has been charged with planting the bomb at Dilsukhnagar.
Framing of charges against the four marks the beginning of the trial against them.