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The Rouse Avenue court on Saturday remanded advocate Deepak Nanda alias Deepak Khatri and Rishabh Kapoor to judicial custody till October 1 after their interrogation by the Delhi Police in a UAPA case linked to alleged illegal arms supply and extortion.
Duty Special Judge Prashant Sharma passed the order after hearing the submissions of the prosecution and defence. The two accused were produced before the court after completing three days of police custody. Delhi Police had sought 27 days of judicial custody, submitting that the investigation was still underway and that the accused may be required to remain in custody during the ongoing probe. While granting judicial custody, the court observed that the investigation was pending and that the facts and evidence collected by the Investigation Officer, as reflected in the application and case diaries, showed that the investigation had proceeded further since the previous hearing. The court further noted that the record revealed that evidence in the form of oral testimonies and electronic evidence had been collected by the Investigation Officer, indicating the involvement of the accused persons in the alleged crime. Special Judge Prashant Sharma, after hearing the contentions of the defence counsel, said, "At this stage, I find that for the purpose of completion of investigation, further judicial custody of accused persons is required. While passing this order, I have borne in mind the contents of previous orders, passed by the concerned court while giving Police custody remand of accused persons." "Accordingly, the present application is allowed. Accused persons are sent to JC remand for 26 days. They will be produced in the Court on 01.10.2026," the Special Judge ordered. Considering the gravity of the matter, the court directed that the accused persons be kept in separate cells in jail. The Jail Superintendent concerned was directed to take adequate precautions as per prison rules for maintaining their safety. They will be produced through video conferencing on the next date of hearing. Advocate Deepak Khatri, who is stated to be a member of the legal team of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch after being apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 25. Earlier, on August 26, the Rouse Avenue court had granted three days of police custody of Khatri to the Delhi Police Crime Branch in the case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Extortion Act and Arms Act. Rishabh Kapoor was arrested on September 2 and was also remanded to three days of police custody along with Deepak Khatri. During the earlier hearing on August 26, Delhi Police had sought custodial interrogation of Khatri, stating that further custody was required to analyse around 100 GB of data extracted from his phone. Police had also informed the court that the Intelligence Bureau and National Investigation Agency had interrogated the accused. While seeking custodial remand, Delhi Police had told the court that 20 accused persons had been arrested in the case and 33 illegal semi-automatic pistols, including two sub-machine guns, along with 368 live cartridges had been recovered from the arrested accused persons. Police had also stated that a chargesheet had been filed on August 24, 2026, against 18 arrested accused persons and one absconding kingpin, Shehbaz Ansari. While granting police custody on August 26, the court had observed that custodial interrogation was required as the allegations related to national security and the nation itself. "Thus, considering the gravity of the offence, the criminal antecedents of the accused, the technicalities involved and in order to unearth the entire chain, I am satisfied that it is a fit case where the custodial interrogation of the accused is justified," the Special Judge had said in the order. The court had also taken note of Delhi Police's submission that the accused had been named by co-accused persons in their disclosure statements. The allegations in the case pertain to the UAPA and threats to national security. As per the police investigation, the sophisticated arms and ammunition were allegedly being collected to create terror among the general public through indiscriminate firing during large public gatherings at certain events. Police have stated that a chargesheet in the present case has already been filed against the accused persons. According to the police, proceedings regarding a Look Out Circular (LOC) had been initiated against Deepak Khatri. On August 25, when he reached IGI Airport, he was apprehended. Following sustained interrogation, Deepak Nanda was arrested in the present case. The reasons for his arrest and grounds of arrest were provided to him in writing. Police have further stated that during interrogation, the accused disclosed his alleged involvement in an international terror module established and operated by Shahbaz Ansari through Harshpal Singh Rubal and Nishant Arora. The investigation in the case is continuing. (ANI)
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