Maharashtra ATS nabs two SIMI operatives absconding since 2006 in 7/11 bomb blast case

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday has said that it has arrested two members of the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), a banned outfit, who had been absconding for nearly 13 years. The two SIMI operatives have been identified as Ejaz Akram Sheikh and Ilyas Akram. The brothers were wanted since a case was registered in Thane's Mira Road town in 2006 following a raid during the investigation of the 2006 Mumbai train bombings.

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Late-night raids

Ejaz Akram Sheikh was arrested from Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur on Thursday. After questioning him, ATS teams conducted late-night raids and nabbed Akram from New Delhi's Okhla area on the same day. Three days transit remand of Ilyas Akram has been obtained by the ATS from a Delhi court.

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Convicts of 2015

The two SIMI members were allegedly associated with Ethesham Siddiqui who was a convict of the 2006 Mumbai suburban train blasts case. In 2015, the Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) held 12, including Siddiqui, of the 13 accused guilty while acquitting one of them. The accused were found guilty of charges under IPC, Explosives Act, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and Indian Railway Act and those under MCOCA. Those convicted were Mohammad Majid Shafi (32), Kamal Ahamed Ansari (37), Tanvir Ahmed Ansari (37), Soheil Mehmood Shaikh (43), Mohd Faisal Shaikh (36), Mohd Sajid Ansari (34), Shaikh Alam Shaikh (41), Muzzammil Shaikh (27), Naveed Hussain Khan (30), Zamir Ahmad Shaikh (36) and Asif Khan (38). 

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Deadly 7/11 attacks

The 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven RDX bomb blasts on 11 July that went off over a period of 11 minutes on the suburban railway network in Mumbai. The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains plying on the Western Line Suburban Section of the Mumbai Division of Western Railway. The blasts killed around 200 people and injured over 700 more. Members of the banned SIMI were the key conspirators of the blast and some Pakistani nationals were also involved.

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(With ANI inputs)