Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) apprehended an accused involved in the Gosabara RDX and arms landing case, in which 1993 Mumbai serial blasts accused Dawood Ibrahim is named as one of the key conspirators, from Uttar Pradesh, it was announced here today.
Based on a tip-off, a team of ATS officials arrested one Ishtiyak Ahmed Ansari (46) from his native village of Kiratpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Najibabad tehsil which is part of Bijnor district on Tuesday and brought him here today, according to an official Gujarat ATS press release.
As per the case details, Ansari was part of a conspiracy in which Dawood Ibrahim allegedly sent a huge cache of RDX explosive and other arms, including AK-47 rifles, from Karachi in Pakistan through the sea route to Gujarat in order to avenge Babri mosque demolition in 1993, the release said.
According to an FIR registered in Jamnagar’s ‘B’ division police station in 1993, the arms and RDX cache landed at Gosabara coast in Porbandar district of Gujarat in 1993 and was distributed to people associated with Dawood Ibrahim and other conspirators, the release said.
During investigation at that time, the police recovered five AK-47 rifles, one AK-56 rifle, 43 hand grenades and 3,011 cartridges after raids, the release said.
Though the arms had landed in Porbandar district, the FIR was registered in Jamnagar because the conspiracy to distribute arms was hatched by various accused, including Ansari, during a meeting at Bedi village near Jamnagar city, the release said.
At that time, an FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code, TADA Act, Arms Act as well as Explosive Substances Act.
In 1994, ATS had searched Ansari’s house in Jamnagar and found an AK-47 rifle and 90 cartridges worth Rs 2.56 lakh, the release said.