Rafique
CHENNAI: The city police on Friday arrested a terror suspect involved in the 2014 bomb blast at MGR Chennai Central railway station that killed a woman software engineer.
A team from the Periamet police station led by an inspector zeroed in on the suspect, identified as Rafique, 38, in connection with a recent robbery case. Subsequent inquiries revealed that Rafique is still an active member in Al-Umma, a banned Muslim outfit and that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was searching for him in connection with the 2014 bomb blast case.
The Chennai police informed NIA officials. A team from the fundamentalist unit of the special branch CID was questioning Rafique at a secluded place.
A senior police officer said Rafique had started his career as a fake currency circulating agent in the city. He had connection with many anti-socials and fundamentalists based in Malda district of West Bengal.
A police officer, who caught Rafique for smuggling fake Indian currency notes at Kodungaiyur a decade ago, said he had visited Bangladesh and even Pakistan to procure these fake Indian currency notes.
On May 5, Rafique and his associate Yasin snatched Rs 7.5 lakh and 282 grams of gold, worth Rs 9 lakh, from a jewellery store owner, identified as Suraj. The robbery happened when Suraj was returning from his jewellery store. The duo targeted Suraj when he was riding on his two-wheeler near Allikulam market behind the Periamet police station.
The Periamet police nabbed Yasin with the help of the CCTV camera footages a few days ago. Based on his confession, the police nabbed Rafique from a hideout in Periamet.
The blast happened in a Bengaluru-Guwahati express train that reached Chennai Central railway station around 7am on May 1, 2014. The train was stationed at platform number 9 when bombs exploded in S-4 and S-5 coaches. Software engineer Swathi, 24, died on the spot as one of the bombs exploded underneath her seat, and 14 other passengers were injured.
The NIA arrested the suspects in the case who were also involved in another terror case. They were lodged in a jail in Madhya Pradesh. Rafique had remained elusive.
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