MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 7 : For the first time after the September 8 blasts in Malegaon, the State Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) has revealed the role of Pakistani nationals in the incident. In its application seeking police custody for accused Dr Salman Farsi Aimi (35) and Dr Farogh Maqdumi (33), the ATS stated that the duo provided shelter to their Indian and Pakisani accomplices and were conspirators in smuggling of RDX and other devices into Malegaon in May 2006 along with their Pakistani associates and some members of the banned SIMI.

Aimi and Maqdumi, both Unani doctors and SIMI activists, had meetings with other conspirators for trafficking RDX and other material, the petition said. Joint Commisioner of Crime, K P Raghuvanshi said: “Some of the accused have mentioned that Pakistanis were involved. We need to verify this and we are gathering more information from the accused.”

Earlier, Aimi had been booked by the Shivaji Nagar police in a rioting case in 2001, while Maqdumi had a case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Aisha police station, Malegaon, in 2003. Both these cases are pending trial. “Both regularly visited Malegaon, and we got their names from Noor-ul-Huda, who was the first person we arrested in the case,” Raghuvanshi added.

Aimi, whose involvement in the case was first reported in this paper, is Huda’s uncle. According to sources in the Crime Branch, on May 7 this year, Farsi, Shabbir Masiulla, alias Baterrywalla and 12 other SIMI activists attended Huda’s wedding at Malegaon. “There is a possibility that Farsi may have been in the know about the 7/11 plot, and links between the two cases cannot be ruled out at this stage,” he said. Maqdumi is a resident of the Islampura area of Malegaon. Aimi and Maqdumi have been remanded to judicial custody till November 21.

Other doctors in ATS net

Dr Sharif Ahmed: Arrested from Malegaon on May 15. He is booked in the Aurangabad arms haul case, and is one of the SIMI members who attended Noor-ul-Huda’s wedding on May 7.

Dr Tanvir Ansari: A Unani practitioner at Sabu Siddique Hospital. He was arrested from Byculla on July 24 and booked in the 7/11 serial blasts case. — ENS