A special court in Mumbai acquitted Ajaz Saeed Shaikh on Friday in connection with a 2010 case involving an email sent to the BBC in the UK. The email, purportedly from the banned Indian Mujahideen (IM), warned of planned terror attacks in New Delhi.
Shaikh, who was arrested in 2014 by the Delhi special cell in connection with the Jama Masjid attack and later transferred to Mumbai police custody, was 30 at the time. Known by several aliases such as Sameer, Samar, and Ibrahim, Shaikh is originally from Pune and was employed in the business process outsourcing sector. At the time of his arrest, he was considered tech-savvy.
The case, initiated on October 10, 2010, was based on an email threatening attacks in the national capital, allegedly sent from South Mumbai. Shaikh was charged with forgery for allegedly obtaining a SIM card under a false identity and using it to send the threat email.
Advocate Hasnain Kazi, representing Shaikh, argued that the prosecution failed to address the significant delay of nearly five years in the investigation. Kazi contended that Shaikh was wrongfully accused due to the investigation’s inability to identify the actual culprit and pointed out procedural lapses, including the lack of statements from BBC personnel regarding the email.
Despite the acquittal, Shaikh will remain in custody. He is also involved in the 2011 Zaveri Bazar blasts case and faces the death penalty for his alleged role in the 2013 Hyderabad Dilsukhnagar blasts case.
