Batla encounter: Court extends judicial custody of suspected IM terrorist

A Delhi court today extended by 14 days the judicial custody of suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist Shahzad in the Batla House encounter case.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Naveen Arora sent Shahzad, who is also an accused in the September 13 Delhi serial blasts, to jail till April 12.

The IM suspect, arrested from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh on February 1 by the state Anti-Terrorism Squad, had earlier also been sent to 14 days of judicial custody as the police did not seek his custodial interrogation in the case.

Besides two alleged IM terrorists, inspector Mohan Chand Sharma of special cell of Delhi police was killed in the  shootout between the police and terrorists at L-18 flat at Batla House on September 19, 2008, which took place a week after the serial blasts here that claimed 26 lives.

Police claimed Shahzad and Junaid, who were allegedly involved in the serial blasts, had escaped from Batla House during the encounter.

Police had sought 10 days' remand of the accused on the ground that he has to be interrogated in connection with the recovery of a laptop and two mobile phones from Azamgarh at his instance.