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Madras police arrest mastermind behind Dec 6 train blasts

The Madras police today achieved a major breakthrough by arresting Islamic Defence Force chief Ervadi Kasim, the alleged mastermind behind the bomb blasts in three trains on December 6, 1997.

The arrest of the fundamentalist, who had been evading the police dragnet for a long time, was announced in the state assembly today.

Making a suo motu statement on behalf of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Health and Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy informed the assembly that Kasim, wanted in connection with several other blast cases, was arrested in Madras at 1215 hours in an operation directly supervised by city Police Commissioner P Kalimuthu.

Besides the train blasts, Kasim was also involved in the blasts under the Anna Flyover on January 10 and in hotels run by Muslims in the city, the minister said.

He was the prime accused in blasts on three trains at Erode, Tiruchirapalli and Trissur which left nine people dead and 52 injured. He was also the main accused in the case relating to the seizure of plastic and pipe bombs numbering 28,508 detonators and 159 gelatine sticks at a house in Pulianthope in central Madras on March 28, the minister added.

The IDF leader was also involved in hurling a bomb at the Vepery police station in the city on December 1, 1997, and the murder of Kamarusman, the imam of Sivalingapuram in K K Nagar in Madras on August 8, the minister added.

UNI

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