Taquee Ahmed, brother of Naquee, an accused in the July 13 triple blasts case appeared before the Kalachowkie unit of the ATS on Sunday as directed by the Supreme Court.
The top court had barred the ATS from arresting him until it heard a petition accusing the anti-terror force of fabricating the case and seeking transfer of probe to the CBI. Officials said that they made inquiries with Taquee and are recording his statement. “The Supreme Court had directed him to be present before the investigating officer in the case. He had come to the Kalachowkie unit in the morning where he was questioned and we are now in the process of recording his statement,” said ATS chief Rakesh Maria.
The direction was given by the top court on March 2, while hearing a petition filed by Taquee against the ATS, seeking a fair and transparent probe by an independent agency like the CBI into the blasts case.
“The petitioner (Taquee) shall report to the ATS office in Mumbai and shall fully cooperate with the investigating authorities in the investigation,” a division bench of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar directed, while emphasising that Taquee be arrested in this case or any other connected cases.
“We had on February 22 passed an interim order against arresting the petitioner. Let the interim order continue till March 16 until further orders,” the court said in its order. Naquee is accused of being a key operative of the Indian Mujahideen, and of playing a major role in the July 13 blasts, by arranging an accommodation for Yasin Bhatkal and two other wanted accused in Mumbai.