Javed Ahmed Abdul Majeed Ansari, 35, was relieved after he stepped out of Arthur Road jail where he spent seven years. Ansari was caught by the Maharashtra ATS in the Aurangabad arms haul case in May 2006 for allegedly helping a co-accused park a vehicle laden with arms and ammunition in Malegaon. On Tuesday, he became the first of the 22 suspects in the case to be released on bail.
“I am innocent. The police have framed me and I feel even the others have been implicated. I have never met Abu Jundal and I don’t know him either,” Ansari said. The car which Ansari allegedly helped park was driven from Aurangabad highway to Malegaon by 26/11 handler Abu Jundal. The Bombay high court on October 21 granted bail to Ansari.
“I had a painful experience in jail. I was assaulted by the jail staff and had complained about it to the authorities,” Ansari said. He said he had not heard of Faiyaz Kagzi before his arrest. Kagzi helped Jundal flee the country.
Ansari’s bail plea was moved by lawyers of the NGO Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra (JUEM).
“Ansari is the first accused in the arms haul case to be granted bail. It is a moment of joy for Malegaon residents,” JUEM legal cell secretary Gulzar Azmi said.
Sharif Shaikh, Ansari’s lawyer, said there was no prima facie evidence against his client and that none of the co-accused mentioned his name in their confession statements. “The only allegation against Ansari was that he moved computer boxes containing arms and ammunition from one place to another, and he helped park a car at a warehouse in Malegaon, Nashik district. He had no knowledge of the contents of the boxes in the Tata Indica, so there is no evidence to prove that he was part of a conspiracy,” Shaikh told the court.
Ansari’s younger brother, Zahid, was earlier arrested in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts along with eight Muslim youth. Zahid is now out on bail.
Aurangabad arms haul case: What it was, how many held
The state ATS on May 9, 2006, chased a car laden with explosives and arrested three people, including Javed Ansari. Later, 19 others were held. The police seized 43kg RDX, 16 AK-47 rifles, 3,200 live bullets and 50 hand grenades from various places. Ansari is the first to get bail in the case.
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