Malleswaram blast: 2 held for supplying explosives for BJP office blast
BENGALURU: Two more accused in the Malleswaram bomb blast case were arrested from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths on Tuesday. Both the accused have been remanded to police custody till April 5.
The accused have been identified as Jahan Aseer, 35, and Syed Ali, 29. With the arrest of two more suspects, the number of arrests in the case has gone up to 17. The police said that the duo, who were working in a quarry, were allegedly supplying explosives used in stone quarries to various terror outfits to carry out blasts.
"It is established that the Malleswaram blast was also carried out by using the explosives provided by the arrested two. The Tamil Nadu police had arrested another accused in the case, K. Sahul Hameed alias Paravai Badhush, in 2014.
Recently, we had taken him to custody on body warrant and he told us that Aseer and Syed had supplied explosives to carry out the Malleswaram blasts. Based on his information, a police team was put on the job to trace the duo. After all preparations, they were nabbed on Tuesday morning," an official said.
When the police teams searched the houses and workplace of the accused, detonators were found and they were seized, the police said. The detonators were similar to those used in the Malleswaram blast, they said.
"Both the accused were brought to the city on Tuesday night and were produced before a magistrate, who remanded them in police custody till April 5. They will be questioned about the case and their links with terror outfits," the police said.
The police have filed a 7,745-page chargesheet in connection with the blast near the BJP office in Malleswaram on April 17, 2013. As many as 18 people were injured, while 23 vehicles and 56 houses in the locality were damaged.
Local police kept in the loop
There were rumours that the CCB team which went to arrest the terror suspects were rounded up by the local police, after the family members of the suspects approached the local police claiming the two were kidnapped. But Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) K.V. Sharath Chandra told DC that it is false.
"The local police were informed about the operation and they were also present when the CCB team nabbed the duo. All procedures have been followed during the operation conducted in the neighbouring state."
