The special investigation division of the CB-CID has arrested N.P. Noohu alias Rasheed alias Mankavu Rasheed, 44, a suspect in the Coimbatore serial blasts case, who has been absconding for the past 20 years. Rasheed, a native of Panniyankara village in Kozhikode in Kerala, was living in Qatar and was arrested upon his arrival at the Chennai airport on Monday.
Over 50 persons died and more than 250 were injured in the serial blasts that rocked Coimbatore on February 14, 1998, ahead of the visit of BJP leader L.K. Advani to attend a meeting as part of the Lok Sabha election campaign.
Over 170 persons were arraigned as accused in the case and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.
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In 2007, K. Uthirapathy, a judge of the Special Court for Bomb Blast Cases in Coimbatore, convicted 41 accused and awarded them sentences ranging from two to nine years. The cases relating to three accused were split and tried separately.
Rasheed was declared as a proclaimed offender by the court.