Alleged mastermind in attack on ED seeks anticipatory bail from underground

Kolkata: The absconding Trinamool Congress leader and the key mastermind behind the January 5 attack on ED and CAPF officials, Sheikh Shahjahan, has now approached a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata seeking anticipatory bail and that too from underground.

The petition contains the signature of the accused. Now questions are being raised about how Shahjahan has managed to sign and forward the affidavit from underground even after 25 days have passed since the orchestrated attack took place in front of his residence at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, IANS reported.

The development happened just a day after the deadline for Shahjahan to appear at the ED office in Salt Lake by 11 a.m. on Monday expired. The matter relating to the application for anticipatory bail might come up for hearing at the special court of PMLA on Tuesday.

Political observers feel that this development will provide an additional arm to the opposition forces to air the view that Shahjahan is operating from underground, assured of the safety of the state police forces who are supposed to track them.

Observers feel that it will also strengthen ED’s logic for an independent probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to hunt Shahjahan instead of a joint special investigation team (SIT) of CBI and state police created for the purpose as per the direction of a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court.

ED has already issued a lookout notice against Shahjahan in anticipation of his escape to neighbouring Bangladesh as its international borders with India are very close to the residence of Shahjahan.