Abu Jundal, 11 others convicted in Aurangabad arms case

A MCOCA court on Thursday convicted Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal and 11 others but set free 10 in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. However, Special Judge Shrikant Anekar dropped MCOCA charges in the case.

“The court accepted prosecution’s case that the aim of the convicted accused was to create terror in the minds of people and to eliminate public leaders like then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia,” according to a report in The Indian Express.

On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra ATS team had arrested three terror suspects and seized 30 kg RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles, and 3,200 bullets from their possession after a car chase on the Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad.

The special court framed charges against the accused in August 2013. However, the trail was stayed by the Supreme Court for a temporary period after one the accused challenged the constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA.