Malleswaram BJP blast case: Tamil Nadu police arrest terror suspect Aboobacker Siddiqui after 30 years on the run

Tamil Nadu police arrested terror suspect Aboobacker Siddiqui in Andhra Pradesh after 30 years on the run. He is linked to the 2013 Malleswaram BJP office blast and multiple bombings across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad has arrested Aboobacker Siddiqui, a wanted terror suspect involved in the 2013 Malleswaram BJP office blast in Bengaluru. He was arrested in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district after being on the run for nearly 30 years.

Arrest after decades on the run 

Siddiqui, an expert in bomb-making, had been absconding since 1995. He is wanted in multiple terror and sabotage cases across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. The Tamil Nadu police acted on credible intelligence to apprehend him. A reward of ₹5 lakh had earlier been announced for information leading to his arrest.

Associate also arrested in Tamil Nadu Police also arrested 

Siddiqui’s associate Mohammad Ali in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. Both suspects are being interrogated in connection with a series of terror activities.

Involvement in multiple terror cases 

Siddiqui is accused of orchestrating the 2013 blast outside the BJP office in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, which injured 16 people on April 17. He is also linked to a 2011 plot to target BJP leader L.K. Advani’s Rath Yatra in Madurai using a pipe bomb.

Long history of sabotage and violence

His criminal activities date back to 1995, when he allegedly masterminded the blast in front of the Hindu Munnani office in Chennai. The same year, he was involved in a blast linked to the murder of Hindu activist T. Muthukrishnan.

In 1999, Siddiqui was a key figure in planting bombs at seven locations, including the Chennai Police Commissioner’s office. He is also accused of planting bombs in Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, and parts of Kerala.