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Conspiracy to trigger blasts in State hatched in prison: DGP

CHENNAI: The conspiracy to cause a series of explosions in Tamil Nadu was hatched in Puzhal central prison. The prime suspect, ‘Pallavaram’ Ali Abdullah, allegedly masterminded the sinister design in the prison where he has been lodged since 1997, Director-General of Police (Law and Order) K.P. Jain has said.

“The brain behind the plan is Ali Abdullah. He is involved in many bomb blast cases in Tamil Nadu. A member of the banned All India Jihad Committee, Abdullah was trained in Pakistan in the making of Improvised Explosive Devices,” he told The Hindu on Monday. Abdul Gafoor, who was arrested on Sunday, was acting under the instructions of Ali Abdullah. Based on the confession of Abdul Gafoor, police seized 1 kg explosive material for making IEDs at Pandikoil in Madurai. The explosive material, suspected to be gelatine-based, was concealed in shrubs along the road. The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad was called to defuse the explosive, police said.

Timely police intervention averted explosions in the State. “It was a well planned strategy that led to the busting of the terror module in Tirunelveli. Preliminary enquiries reveal that explosions were planned in Chennai and the Tirunelveli Collectorate,” the DGP said. Abdullah would be booked on charges of conspiracy, Mr. Jain said. “It is a very intricate network and investigation is on to pin down others involved. We are questioning a couple of suspects based on confessions of Abdul Gafoor arrested on Sunday.”

Tight security arrangements in the State would continue till further advice, Mr. Jain said. On Monday evening, a team of the Special Division conducted a surprise check on the cell where Abdullah has been lodged. The accused allegedly chewed two SIM cards and spat the remains outside the cell. Enquiries are on as to how the undertrial was in possession of SIM cards in the high security block.

Meanwhile, the Tirunelveli police picked up Heera alias Syed Khasim here in connection with the conspiracy. He was whisked away to an undisclosed destination for interrogation. Heera was released from the jail on conditional bail recently. M.A. Basha (34) of Pettai in Tirunelveli was also being questioned, a police source said.

A “threatening” e-mail was allegedly sent to the official website of the Police department by an “anonymous” person on Sunday night. Cyber Crime police tracked down the origin of the e-mail to an internet browsing centre at Pondy Bazaar. Since the register of net users was not properly maintained, police could not identify the suspect who sent the mail. Police said investigators were closing in on a few suspects who purportedly sent short messaging service to many mobile phone users.

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