The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the 2015 murder of two BJP leaders in Bharuch, today moved a Special Court here seeking the remand of three accused in the case lodged in Sabarmati Jail.
In its application, the central agency sought three-day custody of the accused Nasir Khan Pathan, Abdul Salim Ghanchi and Shoaib Zoaid who are among 12 persons arrested in the case.
The Special Court, presided by Principal Judge P B Desai, fixed April 13 for hearing the plea.
The NIA lawyer told the Court that the anti-terror agency needs the custody of the trio, who are under judicial remand, for questioning and to ferret out more details about the case.
The agency is probing the murder of two BJP leaders Shirish Bangali and Pragnesh Mistry.
Bangali was a former President of Bharuch district BJP unit while Mistry was General Secretary of local branch of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the saffron outfit.
Both were shot dead by assailants in Bharuch, about 190km from here, on November 2 last year.
The NIA was handed over the case after Gujarat Police probe showed that the duo were murdered to avenge riots in Mumbai and Gujarat in 1993 and 2002 respectively.
"Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna, who as per information received is at present settled in Karachi, Pakistan, had sent the names of three persons, that is Shirish Bangali, Advocate Modi and Viral Desai to his younger brother, Abid Patel (an arrested accused) by using whatsApp in October 2015. It was decided that Bangali would be the first target," says the charge sheet.
Chikna, a member of Dawood Ibrahim gang, has been shown as an absconding accused. He is also wanted in the 2003 Mumbai blasts case.
The charge sheet has been filed against Saiyed Imran, Zuheb Ansari, Inayat Patel, Mohmad Yunus, Haider Ali, Nissarbhai Sheikh, Mohsin Khan Pathan, Mohmed Altaf Shaikh, Abid Patel and Abdul Salim Ghanchi. They have been charged under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, IPC sections such as 302 (murder) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), Arms Act and Gujarat Police Act.
