Mohammed Ali Khan Kutti (35), who has helping the families of the Malleswaram bomb blast case accused, is among the five under the scanner of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths investigating the case.
The CCB, while seeking further custody of one of the suspects before the I Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Court here on Monday, said that there are five more suspects in the case. Mr. Kutti, a mobile phone shop owner from Satyamangalam, was an accused in the Coimbatore blast case but was acquitted by the Madras High Court.
He is part of an NGO formed to provide legal assistance to other suspects languishing in various prisons across Tamil Nadu. He has been coordinating with advocates, helping the family members of the suspects by arranging for meetings in jail with court permission, and he frequently interacts with the police during every hearing, sources said. The other four suspects sought by the CCB are Shamshuddin, who is lodged in Salem jail in connection with a blast case, Shaheel Hameed Bagadur Shah, Umar and Siddique. Their names emerged during the questioning of Zulfikhar Ali, who is alleged to have provided explosives for the April 17 blast, the sources said.
CCB officials said that only 11 have been arrested so far while many have been questioned. “We got information about the new suspects based on the statements of the accused,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police H.M. Omkaraiah, investigating officer in the case.
