Sudden shift for acquitted duo

The shift was arranged so fast that even their families were taken aback. “We weren’t informed that they would be taken away today itself,” said Ansari’s wife Yasmin.

“We were in the process of arranging a lawyer to represent them in the Rampur case and get them transferred there. In fact,I met Fahim today morning in jail and handed him the over-1,500- page judgment. Fahim seemed clueless about the transfer. Now I am just hoping he gets bail there and is released soon,” she said.

The Mumbai police moved the two out of Arthur Road jail on Wednesday evening and put them aboard the Lucknow Express.

“Fifteen Mumbai policemen are dispatched with the two on the Lucknow Express. They are scheduled to reach Lucknow at 4.15 pm tomorrow,” said Arthur Road jail superintendent Rajendra Dhamne.

An official of the UP ATS said Ahmed and Ansari would be taken to Bareilly Jail from Lucknow.

The two had been accused of conducting a recce of Mumbai and preparing a detailed map,which was then allegedly passed on to Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives in Pakistan. According to the prosecution,the map was used by the ten terrorists who had attacked Mumbai on 26/11.

The court,however,held that these charges could not be proved. While acquitting them,Judge Tahaliyani had said both should be taken to UP immediately.

Ansari had been arrested in Rampur on February 9,2008,and Sabahuddin the next day from Charbagh railway station in Lucknow. Later,both were made co-accused in the 26/11 case and sent on transit remand to Mumbai,Ansari from Bareilly Jail and Ahmed from Lucknow Jail.

Charges against them have already been framed in the Rampur attack,but the case has not progressed because they were out of UP. The UP police had recovered a pistol,three handgrenades,a fake Mumbai driving licence,a Pakistani passport and nine hand-drawn maps of Mumbai from Ansari.

From Ahmed,the STF had recovered an A-K 47 rifle. Ballistic reports have reportedly confirmed that the weapon had been used in the attack on CRPF camp.