Officials of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Monday arrested a dreaded criminal from Madhya Pradesh who was wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blasts, as well as the murder of two policemen and several other crimes. ATS officials said one of his associates was shot dead in an encounter, which also left a policeman injured.
Officials said the accused, Mohammed Abrar Khan, alias Abrar Sheikh (32), has known links with terror outfits — Students’ Islamic Movement of India and Indian Mujahideen — and was plotting to assassinate the two judges that delivered the verdict in the Babri Masjid case. Accor-ding to ATS sources, the encounter occurred in Him-ayat Baug in Aurangabad at around 12.30 pm.