TN panchayat vice-prez held in 2013 Malleswaram blast case

A vice-president of a village panchayat in Tamil Nadu has been arrested in connection with the 2013 bomb blast near the BJP office in Malleswaram.

Daniel Prakash (35), vice-president of Pudukudi village panchayat in Tirunelveli district, was picked up from Tirunelveli town by a Central Crime Branch (CCB) special team led by ACP Venkatesh Prasanna. Daniel was later brought to Bengaluru and is being interrogated.

With this, a total of 16 arrests have been made in the case. Daniel supplied gelatine sticks and detonators to Panna Ismail, Police Fakrudeen and Kitchen Buhari to carry out the blasts.

Daniel transported a gunny bag loaded with gelatine sticks and detonators to a desolate area near Mela Pudukudi railway gate. The trio collected the bag, sent it to Bengaluru in a car, prepared the bomb and triggered the blast, said the police. The trio are now in jail.

In March, a CCB team arrested Jhone Asir and Syed Ali, residents of Tirunelveli. The duo revealed details about Daniel’s involvement in the blast, and since then he has been on the CCB radar.

About two months ago, the CCB police almost nabbed Daniel at Ambasamudram, but he twisted a cop’s arm and escaped, Prasanna told DH. Daniel was earlier jailed twice, but obtained bail.

According to the CCB police, Daniel was involved in supplying explosives on three occasions: for planting a bomb below a bridge near Vellore in 2011 to target BJP leader L K Advani, the 2012 Tirunelveli blast and for the Malleswaram blast.

“Daniel neither had any religious affiliation nor he transported explosives for money ,” the officer added.