logo
7/11Mumbai train blast: Pune's Suhail Shaikh acquitted by HC: we had lost hope, but he did not, says family

7/11Mumbai train blast: Pune's Suhail Shaikh acquitted by HC: we had lost hope, but he did not, says family

Indian Express4 days ago
Family members of Pune based Suhail Mehmood Shaikh (55), who was acquitted by the Bombay High Court in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts on Monday, said they have finally got 'justice'.
After the HC verdict, Suhail's younger brother Rahil Shaikh, was in tears. 'I cannot tell you how happy we are. We as a family had lost all hope. But Suhail bhai had not lost hope. He used to say he had faith in the judiciary of India. We have finally got justice,' Rahil told The Indian Express.
A metal fabrication worker, Rahil said his brother Suhail has been in Amravati central prison. 'I spoke with him over the phone after the judgement today. He was so happy and emotional at the same time. We are leaving for Amravati tonight. We used to talk to him via video conferencing calls and he was the one who used to tell us to have faith in the system,' he said.
Rahil added he lost his parents after Suhail's arrest. 'They left this world waiting for Suhail to get justice,' he said.
Rahil said Suhail's wife, three children (a daughter and a son, who are now married, as well as the youngest, a boy) are all eagerly waiting for him to return. 'They suffered a lot. The investigators had taken all their documents including the gas card. The family was publicly humiliated. Even our relatives abandoned us. But the truth has prevailed now,' he said.
On the evening of July 11, 2006, seven bombs had exploded in local trains in Mumbai, killing 187 persons and leaving 817 injured. A probe into the terror attacks, termed as the '7/11' Mumbai train blasts, led to the arrest of 13 persons, including Suhail, who was picked up from his Pune residence on July 21. At the time, he worked as a rafoo artisan and tailor to earn a living. He had completed HSC from an English medium school in Pune Camp and also worked as a faith healer, said Rahil.
In September 2015, a special court in Mumbai, convicted 12 accused persons, while one was acquitted. The court awarded the death penalty to five accused, while seven others including Suhail were sentenced to imprisonment for life. The Bombay HC Monday acquitted all the accused in this case.
'I am on my way to meet my father and bring him home after so many years,' said Suhail's son Syed Shaikh, who is employed in repairing and installing air conditioners in Pune.
Investigators had claimed that the 7/11 train blast strike was allegedly masterminded by wanted accused Azam Chima alias Babaji, a Pakistani operative of terror outfit Lashkar e Taiba (LeT), who indoctrinated and trained SIMI operatives from India for the terror strikes.
It was alleged that a wanted SIMI member, Mohammed Faizal Ataur Rehman Shaikh from Pune, had incited Suhail and gave him Rs 1 lakh to go to an LeT training camp. It had been alleged that Suhail was trained in handling arms, ammunition and explosives at an LeT terrorist camp at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Investigators had also alleged that Suhail went to Iran by obtaining a Ziyarat Visa and then infiltrated into Pakistan via clandestine methods and contacted LeT commander Chima. It was alleged that after returning from Pakistan, Suhail was asked to look after LeT's work and assignments in Pune.
However, Suhail's family had claimed he went to Iran to set up a dry fruits business. Suhail had refuted the allegations. He had also submitted before the court that his confession statement was the outcome of torture inflicted on him. While acquitting him on Monday, the High Court observed that Suhail's confession statement 'is inadmissible as it appears to have been extorted by torture.'
Three other suspects from Pune — Mohammed Raheel Shaikh of Kubera Garden, Kondhwa, Pune; Rizwan Mohammed Daware, a software professional, who had been resided at Premanand Park in Wanavdi and Sohail Usman Gani Shaikh of Gaffar Baig street in Pune Camp — who were named as wanted accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case are still on the run. Their names and photographs were also printed on the pocket calendar (for the year 2015) titled 'Wanted', which was prepared by the Pune unit of the state ATS.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Gang involved in digi arrest cases busted; three arrested
Gang involved in digi arrest cases busted; three arrested

Time of India

time23 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Gang involved in digi arrest cases busted; three arrested

Lucknow: Lucknow Police arrested three members of a pan-India cyber fraud gang involved in at least 67 scams across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh worth over Rs 100 crore. The gang was also involved in a recent case in the city where a 73-year-old woman was duped of Rs 56 lakh. Among those arrested are Mohammed Zaid, a law student from a private university, Chitransh Kunwar, a medical equipment businessman from Indiranagar, and Mohan Kumar Rawat of Sugamau. They used fake identities, forged court documents, and a numberless SUV posing as a legal vehicle to avoid suspicion. The kingpin, Sameer Ansari alias Munna Bhaiya, is currently absconding, and efforts are ongoing to trace him, said additional DCP, Cyber Cell, Rallapalli Vasanth Kumar. Kumar said that the gang came under the scanner after Rita Bhasin, a resident of IT Colony in Aishbagh, lodged a complaint on July 18. She was targeted by fraudsters posing as CBI officials who claimed her Aadhaar and mobile number were linked to criminal activity and that an FIR was registered in Andheri East, Mumbai. The scam further escalated when the caller initiated a WhatsApp video call, during which one of the fraudsters, dressed in a police uniform, aggressively threatened her, citing alleged links to a money laundering case and the possibility of jail time. According to the complaint, the victim, already in a state of anxiety, was coerced into isolating herself in a private space where she was forced to remain in view of a video camera. The fraudster even went as far as providing an "Supreme Court bank account" number, assuring her that transferring 99% of her funds would later be "recovered" following an investigation. Throughout the process, the culprits bolstered their deception by sending fake arrest warrants and court orders as further evidence of their fabricated authority. DCP Kumar added that the arrested individuals were found to have been using their vehicle—stripped of its number plate—to travel for money collection activities. "Investigations have so far uncovered 67 cases of similar fraud across different states, with the recovered funds funnelled into bank accounts provided by the accused," he said. Probe into the scam revealed that members of the gang communicated through a private group chat.

Youth sexually exploits girl; seeks 2L to free her
Youth sexually exploits girl; seeks 2L to free her

Time of India

time38 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Youth sexually exploits girl; seeks 2L to free her

Lucknow: A youth befriended a 14-year-old girl from Chinhat, sexually exploited her and demanded Rs 2 lakh to 'free' her from his clutches. The incident came to light on Friday after an FIR was registered. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police said that the accused identified as Arman of Madeyganj followed the girl on her Instagram account, by liking her posts. This way, he befriended her in due course of time and called her for meeting during which he raped her and filmed his act in his mobile phone. It was alleged that the accused started sexually exploiting the girl after this. He used to call whimsically the girl to meet him and during every meeting he raped her. The victim's mother alleged that Arman called victim for meeting on 15 different occasions since May 15, put her at different hotels where he sexually exploited her. She said that sheinformed on dial 112, on the interference of which she came back with her daughter. Further investigation is on.

Insider job? Rs 10 lakh missing from ATM
Insider job? Rs 10 lakh missing from ATM

Time of India

time38 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Insider job? Rs 10 lakh missing from ATM

Ghaziabad: More than Rs 10 lakh was stolen from an ATM in Jassipura colony. The accused allegedly sprayed a black ink on the CCTV camera installed inside the ATM kiosk of Hitachi Money Spot. Additional CP Alok Priyadarshi said the police got the information from the bank around 7 pm. "It looks like someone from the bank opened the ATM and took the money. There was no sign of force on the machine. The accused used some black spray on the CCTV camera. There was no security guard at the time ," he said. DCP Dhawal Jaiswal said on July 16 evening, an official of the Hitachi replenished the ATM with cash. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida Two days later, the machine stopped working. For the next seven days there was no withdrawals from the ATM. "On Friday, when an engineer came to repair the ATM, officials learnt that the cash was missing and submitted a complaint," he said. Three teams have been formed to probe the matter. Cops are checking footage of nearby CCTV cameras between July 16 and 25 to identify the accused," the DCP said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store