Madurai pipe bomb case: Cops ready with chargesheet

The Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the CB CID was waiting for Madurai Collector Anshul Mishra’s approval to commence their trail of the pipe bomb planted on the route of Bharatiya Janta Party leader L K Advani’s rath yatra near Thirumangalam.

The SIT was ready with charge sheet but, since the cases were booked against the accused under the Tamil Nadu Explosives Act, they required the approval of the Collector to commence the trail. Communication in this regard was already sent to the Collector from the magistrate court, said the sources in the SIT.

According to sources, the SIT was ready to file the charge sheet on the three accused before the magistrate court in Thirumangalam. More than 20 persons, including witnesses, had been given their statements on the incident, which were included in the charge sheet.

Running up to over 100 pages, the charge sheet explained the charges on the three accused - Ismath, Abdul Rahman and Hakkeem - who were arrested in November 2011. CB CID officials said that they could not include information on the three main accused - Fakruddin alias ‘Police’ Fakruddin, Bilal Malick and Mohamed Hanifa, - in the charge sheet. These three were hiding from the police for the past one year, said the officer.

‘Police’ Fakruddin was the son of a police constable in the city. “Fakruddin had elaborate knowledge in making explosives and various types of bombs. He was a close associate of Al Umma activist Imam Ali, who was killed in an encounter in Bangalore in 2002 by Tamil Nadu and Bangalore police.

Ismath and Hakkeem were facing charges for providing assistance, such as transporting the explosive materials to the place identified for planting.

Abdul Rahman allegedly helped Fakruddin by monitoring the place where the bomb was planted and also provided the two wheeler battery to be used as a trigger. The pipe bomb was found under a bridge on the highway running between Madurai and Sengottai on October 27.