Bengaluru: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Bengaluru police has arrested one of the main accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blast case after 12 years of the incident.
Police have identified the suspect as Shoaib who was nabbed on Monday when he landed at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport in Kerala.
In 2008, terrorists carried out serial blasts at 10 places, including the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, in which a woman was killed and several people were injured. In this case, 32 accused were identified, out of which 22 were arrested. Currently, with the arrest of Shoaib, the total number of accused arrested in the case has now reached 23.
Police sources said that Shoaib’s role in the Bengaluru serial blast was crucial. Police will be seeking the remand of the accused to investigate whether his role in the Ahmedabad and Jaipur serial blasts.
Shoaib is accused of planning the serial blast in Bengaluru in 2008 as well as providing the terrorists with guns, gunpowder and accommodation. Along with this, he is also accused of helping the terrorists for escape.
The first blast took place in Bengaluru at half past one in the afternoon of July 25, 2008. This was followed by six bomb blasts in different parts of the city. There were a total of seven blasts that day. Eighth blast was prevented. A live bomb was defused in Koramangala that day. The blasts were carried out by remote devices.
The case is 12 years old and Shoaib has been hiding from the police since then. He had fled abroad and was trying to return to his native place.