COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore city police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) have arrested one of the most-wanted suspects in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts case after nearly 26 years.
The arrested person was identified as Sadiq alias Raja alias Tailor Raja alias Valarntha Raja, aged 48, from Bilal Estate at Ukkadam in Coimbatore city. He was one among four suspects who were declared as wanted accused by the CB-CID police.
Raja was arrested in Karnataka and brought to Coimbatore city on Wednesday. He is currently being interrogated at the PRS campus in the city. He is expected to be remanded to judicial custody today. Meanwhile, the ATS will proceed with further investigation, according to police sources.
Raja was allegedly surrounded by the police team based on a tip-off about his movements in Karnataka. He had been evading arrest since 1998, police said.
He was a frontline cadre of Al-Umma, a banned outfit founded by the prime accused in the case, SA Basha.
Raja had allegedly played a key role in the serial bomb blasts that rocked Coimbatore in 1998. He was a tailor by profession and had rented a house at Vallal Nagar in Ukkadam, where the extremists allegedly made and stored bombs used in the serial blasts.
Raja is also facing murder cases registered at the Nagore police station, Race Course police station in Coimbatore city, and the Karimedu police station in Madurai.
Another suspect, Mujibur Rehman from Oppanakkara Street, has also been absconding in connection with the Coimbatore serial bomb blast case since February 1998.
The bombings were allegedly orchestrated to assassinate BJP leader LK Advani, who was in Coimbatore to attend an election meeting.