TN police question Soofiya in Coimbatore press club case

A two-member team led by Inspector Shakitvel questioned her at Thrikkara Assistant Commissioner's office on Friday morning ahead of being produced before the Aluva Magistrate Court, which remanded her in judicial custody in the case relating to the burning of a Tamil Nadu bus in Kalamassery in Kerala in 2005, police said on Saturday.

Soofiya has been listed as the 10th accused recently after the arrest of suspected LeT militant K Nazir, with whom she had alleged contacts over phone.

Besides the bus burning case, Nazir was also the main suspect in the case relating to planting of explosives at the press club to protest the detention of Madani in the Feb 14, 1998 serial bomb blasts that rocked Coimbatore, killing over 58 people.

The Tamil Nadu police team wanted to know if Soofiya had any information regarding the press club incident. Soofiya used to visit Coimbatore to meet Madani, the sources said.

Nazir and another suspected militant K P Subair have said to have told police that they had planned to bomb the press club to protest the arrest of Madani.

Madani, who has been exonerated of all charges in the blast cases by a Coimbatore special court, however, has denied that he and his wife were ever engaged in any terror activity and termed her arrest as a conspiracy.