Delhi on Red Alert as 3 terrorists flee from police custody

NEW DELHI - Delhi has been put on Red Alert as three Pakistani militants, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the December 2000 attack on Red Fort, escaped while being taken to the G. B. Pant hospital here on Saturday evening.

The militants identified as Razzak, Rafaqat and Tariq had served jail-terms and were under the custody of the Delhi Police Special Branch.

They were to be handed over to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for deportation to Pakistan.

The Delhi Police is now preparing a fresh case against the trio for violating the restraint order of the Foreigners Act.

The three had been arrested in 2000 along with 17 kg of RDX and 50 kg of heroin following which the court had sentenced them.

According to reports, the Meghalaya Police personnel, who were escorting the three, are being questioned by security agencies.

The Red Fort attack had killed three people - a soldier and two civilian employees of the Indian Army - when the militants stormed the building and opened fire.

Earlier, in October 2005, a Delhi Court had awarded death penalty to the prime accused in the Red Fort attack case Mohammad Arif, which was upheld by the Delhi High Court.

In 2007, the Supreme Court decided to stay the execution of death sentence awarded to Arif alias Ashfaq. (ANI)