I was picked up in Nepal: Tunda

NEW DELHI: Seeking a direction to police for providing details of the cases pending against him, LeT bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda claimed before a trial court on Saturday that he was not arrested in India but was "picked up" from Nepal by Delhi Police.
Tunda (72), who was reportedly arrested from the Indo- Nepal border on August 16 last year by the special cell of Delhi Police, said that he was in fact picked up from Nepal and brought to India by the cops.Tunda was one of the 20 terrorists India had asked Pakistan to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. In his plea filed through advocate M S Khan, Tunda also said the police should be directed to furnish the details of pending cases.
He said it has been alleged that he was involved in more than 20 terror attack cases between 1994 and 1998 in Delhi and other states, but to date, he has been arrested by Delhi Police in only four cases. Tunda said it was not known if more cases were pending as alleged and that the "accused has a right to know and to seek trial or avail legal remedies available to him".
"It is, therefore, most respectfully, and in the interest of justice prayed that direction may kindly be issued to the SHO special cell to furnish the details of the remaining cases pending against the applicant/accused and to arrest him, if required," the plea said. Chief metropolitan magistrate Amit Bansal issued notice to police seeking its response on Tunda's plea and fixed the matter for January 10.
Meanwhile, additional sessions judge Daya Prakash on Saturday fixed January 18 for hearing arguments on the framing of charges in a 1997 Sadar Bazar blasts case, in which a chargesheet was recently filed by the special cell.
Tunda, who is in judicial custody in connection with various terror attack cases, was chargesheeted for offences under sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
Police had claimed that he was part of the conspiracy which led to two bomb blasts, one in Sadar Bazar and other on Qutub Road on October 1, 1997, leaving many injured.