Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, February 20
Tausif Khan, one of the 38 accused sentenced for death for Ahmedabad serial blasts is having restless day and sleepless night in Gaya central jail since Saturday.
According to the jail authorities, Tausif was announced death sentence through video conferencing from Ahmedabad on Friday afternoon. He was visibly shocked when he heard death penalty, jail authorities said.
He was staying in Karmain village at Tekari, 15 kms from the district headquarters of Gaya and teaching in a local Mumtaj high school after he came from Gujarat. His arrest was executed by Anurag Bose, who had a cyber cafe at Rajendra Ashram, Bodh Gaya.
Anurag told this correspondent over phone on Sunday, on September 13, 2017, Tausif had come to the cafe with one of his colleagues. He had noted down the public notices of Delhi and Gujarat police seeking help of people in tracing the absconding terrorists. “Since Tausif Khan was a regular visitor to my cyber cafe, I recognised him as one of the wanted terrorists and dialled local control room,” he said.
However, Tausif heard him talking to police and started running. “I followed him, he pushed me on the ground and boarded a rickshaw to escape. Since, I am an expert in Judo, I recovered immediately and caught him again,” Anurag recalled, adding that he then saw a police vehicle; stopped it and told the police officer about Tausif. Since September 13, 2017, he is in Gaya central jail.
Anurag recalled he was threatened by the supporters of Tausif and he had to shut down his cafe.
Later, teams of Telangana and Gujarat police came, got his statement recorded before a magistrate. All computers were seized as Tausif had used them. The trial court from Ahmedabad recorded his statement for two days in December last.
From Tausif, ATS had recovered maps of Vishnupad temple of Gaya and Mahabir Mandir at Patna and details of Gandhi Maidan at Patna also. Nine people were killed in the Gandhi Maidan serial explosions when Narendra Modi was addressing his first pre-election meeting.
