More charge sheets likely in Malleswaram blast case

The charge sheet filed by City police in connection with the Malleswaram bomb blast is only a preliminary charge sheet and will be soon followed up by supplementary charge sheets.

According to sources, City police are yet to seek custody of the recently arrested three prime suspects in the case – Panna Ismail, Police Fakruddin and Bilal Mallik — who are currently in the custody of Tamil Nadu police.

The men are currently being questioned by officers from the Special Investigation Division (SID), Tamil Nadu in connection with the murders of Hindu right-wing leaders in that state.
A two-day interrogation of men has revealed that the module was involved in more murders in Tamil Nadu. Sources in the City police who questioned the suspects said the men have allegedly confessed to being involved in the murders of two more BJP functionaries in Tamil Nadu.

Based on the new information, the Tamil Nadu government has reportedly transferred the cases of BJP’s state medical unit secretary V Arvind Reddy, who was slain in Vellore on October 23, 2012, and local BJP leader Murugan who was at Paramakudi in March, to the SID.

Prized catch

Police, however, are yet to arrest the alleged mastermind of the terror module, Abubacker Siddique. A senior official, heading the investigation into the Malleswaram bomb blast, said that of the two prime suspects in the case still at large, Abubacker Siddique is the prize catch.

“He is very elusive and has not even been using mobile phones. From what information we have gathered up to now, Abubacker seems to be the mastermind and the leader of the entire module and also the one who brought members of various terrorist cells and organisations together,” the official said.

The official expressed confidence that Siddique, once captured, could provide critical information on his links with other terror organisations and offer law enforcement officials new avenues of investigation.

With the recent arrest of Siddique’s alleged close aide, Sadiq Ali, by Tamil Nadu police, law enforcement officials hope to make a breakthrough in the manhunt. According to sources, the police are questioning Ali in an undisclosed location. Using inputs from Ali, police claim to have constructed a recent sketch of Siddique, to help with the search.

The police senior official said that the SID is proceeding in a systematic manner in the case and that they were more or less done with the investigation of the Veliyappan murder case. The SID will following this up with an investigation of the rest of the murder cases.