Deshmukh, one of the eight persons to be acquitted from case, says he was falsely implicated
Firoz Deshmukh, who used to work at Islamic scholar Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), is among the eight accused who were acquitted in the 2006 Aurangabad Arms Haul Case.
Deshmukh said that though he worked with the IRF, he did not know Naik personally. He also said that he and others were deliberately framed in the case. "I am extremely thankful to the judiciary and I honour its judgment. I knew that I was being framed into this case. The court has believed that some of us were forcefully implicated into this case and also our statements were recorded forcefully by the police. I am also glad that the court after learning the truth MCOCA charges has been removed from the case. I had no intentions of violating the internal peace of the country and even after being arrested, the judiciary showed some mercy on me and I was the first person to be out on bail," Deshmukh said.
When asked about the on-going controversy surrounding IRF, where Deshmukh previously worked, he said: "I was part of IRF but I was and I am not associated with Naik in any way. I don't even follow him and personally I am not even aware about his activities."
Deshmukh had previously alleged that after the ATS had arrested him, his confession and statements regarding the case has been forcefully taken by the police and ATS sleuths. "The court observed that the evidences provided by the prosecution were not sufficient to prove the accused persons as guilty so the court has removed MCOCA charges from all the accused and also Deshmukh's statement proved inadmissible as he had alleged that his statements were forcefully taken by the officers," said defence lawyer Mubin Solkar.
Talking about Deshmukh's acquittal, former ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi said: "During our probe, we came to know that Firoz Deshmukh, was also part of the same crime syndicate. It was also found that he was in regular touch with another radical youth Rahil Shaikh. When the police had tried to nab Rahil, he fled to Bangladesh. Later, Abu Jundal too fled to Bangladesh and hence they were interconnected and part of same crime syndicate. Deshmukh worked as a librarian with IRF when he was caught in 2006."
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