Toufeeq to be arrested from Kerala in bomb blasts case

Chennai, Aug 3 (UNI) Special teams have rushed to Kerala to arrest fundamentalist leader Toufeeq in connection with the busting of a terror module plan to trigger bomb blasts in Tamil Nadu.

Police sources said the teams had identified his hideout and expressed confidence of nabbing him soon.

Police stumbled upon the involvement of Toufeeq in the conspiracy to trigger 1998 type serial blasts in Tamil Nadu, after questioning Muslim Fundamentalist Ali Abdullah, the mastermind of the conspiracy to trigger blasts in the state on Independence Day.

The sources said Toufeeq was equipped with sophisticated explosives.

It may be recalled that police had busted a terror module with the arrest of Abdul Gaffoor at Pettai in Tirunelveli on July 27 for manufacturing explosives and attempting to carry it to Chennai to plant them.

His confession led to the arrest of three others, Anwar Basha, Heera alias Syed Kasim, Abdul Khader, and the surrender of another fundamentalist Abutahir.

The interrogation of the fundamentalists also brought to light the role of Ali Abdullah, trained in Pakistan for manufacturing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), who had hatched the diabolic plot to trigger 1998 type serial blasts in Chennai and Tirunelveli on Independence Day.

A fresh case of conspiracy was slapped and Abdullah, who was lodged in Puzhal Central Prison in connection with bomb blasts in trains, was formally arrested at the prison a few days back.

A special police team from Tirunelveli obtained warrant from a court and took him into their custody.

After a court in Tirunelveli granted ten days' police custody of Abdullah, Heera and Abdul Gafoor for further investigations, they were extensively questioned and they spilled the beans about Toufeeq involvement in the conspiracy and that he was hiding in Kerala.

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