The Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Crime Branch–CID on Thursday filed the chargesheet in the First Judicial Magistrate Court here in the case pertaining to the seizure of explosives at Melapalayam last year and the subsequent confiscation of suspected militant ‘Kitchaan’ Bhukari’s pistol.
Following the murders of activists of Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu Munnani, the Tamil Nadu government formed the SID that cracked the mystery behind these murders. The team arrested a few suspects from Melapalayam and seized explosives.
The CB-CID case is that its SID team members on suspicion picked up Shahul Hameed and his associate Mohamed Thassim at Melapalayam on July 27, 2013. During enquiry, they told the interrogators that they and their friends Anwar Bismi, an auto driver, Noorul Ahmed and Mohamed Samsudeen, all from Melapalayam in Palayamkottai had stocked explosive materials and electric detonators in the house of Al Fahd, a widow living at Melapalayam.
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After seizing 145 electric detonators and 17.50 kg of explosive material from Ms. Al Fahd’s house, the police interrogated all the five and the woman. While the police found that Ms. Al Fahd had no role in this incident and freed her, it arrested Bilal Hussein, associate of Shahul, from the same area.
During investigation, the SID came to know that Mohammed Thassim had met Kitchaan Bhukari, a suspected militant also from Melapalayam and now lodged in Bangalore Central Prison in connection with the Malleswaram blast.
Kitchaan Bhukari asked Thassim to take custody of his 7.65 mm pistol and 53 rounds of ammunition from one Mohammed Bashir of Coimbatore.
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With Thassim identifying Bashir, SID sleuths questioned him as well.
Bashir told the police that the weapon was with Mohammed Ansar of Ukkadam in Coimbatore.
When they secured Ansar and questioned him, he told the police that the weapon was given to him by Mann alias Suleiman of Karumbukkadai. The weapon and the ammunition, all wrapped in multiple layers of polythene and dumped in drainage, was recovered on last August 14.
During interrogation, Ansar told the police about the involvement of three of his friends from Coimbatore and Pennagaram in purchasing a pistol for ‘Kitchaan’ Bhukari. Based on the information, the police arrested Salahudeen, Nizar, both from Coimbatore, and Munna alias Mohamed Rafiq of Pennagaram.
Meanwhile, the SID recovered Rs. 6.01 lakh from Samsudeen in Melappalayam, the money, given by his friend Shahul, was meant for the expenses in connection with ‘jihadi’ assignments, narrates the chargesheet, filed in Judicial Magistrate Court I on Thursday.