Mumbai blast accused Zahid to be deported to India

MUMBAI: The prime accused in the August 25 twin bomb blasts, Zahid Patni, has been detained by the Dubai police and will soon be deported to the country, the police said on Tuesday.
The Union government has already initiated the process to deport the accused, sources said.
Zahid was allegedly associated with the group out to avenge the Godhra killings in Gujarat.The group carried out three blasts in the city — at Ghatkopar, the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar.
He is facing the charge of hatching the conspiracy for the blasts and arranging finance for the purpose, sources said.
The arrest of Arshad Ansari, co-accused in the blasts, led to the arrest of Zahid in Dubai. The Mumbai police supplied information about Zahid to the CBI which, in turn, requested the Dubai police to arrest him.
Sources further said Zahid’s arrest will help the investigation further. Zahid had met Nasir and Sayed Mohammed Hanif in Dubai and had brainwashed them to carry out the blasts. Nasir was killed in an encounter recently, while Hanif has been arrested with two others, including his wife Fahimida.
Meanwhile, the Thane police have launched a combing operation in Mira Road, following information that terrorists were hiding in the area, sources said. Zahid and Nasir were childhood friends, police sources said.
Though their relationship was forged in Dubai, Zahid and Nasir knew each other from their childhood days in Mumbai.