Two persons who reached the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday. According to sources, the two were detained by officials at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia as India had given lookout notices for them in relation to terror cases. The NIA has not yet issued a release identifying the two persons. However, a senior police official said that one of the persons is a suspect in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts in Karnataka.
One person was killed and 20 others were wounded in the serial blasts at nine places in the Bengaluru city on July 25 that year.
"Important arrest in 2008 Bengaluru serial blast case. Bengaluru City Anti-Terror Cell (ATC), with the assistance of central agencies, has detained one accused Shoab," Bengaluru Joint Commissioner (Crime) Sandeep Patil said in a brief statement.
He said that Shoab had been on the run since 2008, following which a Red Corner notice was issued against him.
"He was detained in Kerala and is being brought to Bengaluru," Patil added. Two ATC officers have gone to Kerala to bring him to Bengaluru, he said.
Police tentatively identified the other person who has been detained as Muhammad Gul Nawaz, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, reports The Hindu.
While the NIA had issued a lookout notice for Shoab earlier, Nawaz was wanted in an anti-hawala probe. Both of them have been taken to Kochi to be presented at the NIA special court.
A few suspects were arrested in the Bengaluru blast case, including a cleric who allegedly hatched the conspiracy and had links with some terror outfits operating outside India.
The blasts were reportedly caused by crude timer bombs. All nine were low-intensity blasts from different areas of Bengaluru including the popular shopping mall Forum.
A day later, similar bombings took place in Ahmedabad.
No one had claimed responsibility for the attacks. Several arrests were made in the months that followed.
(With PTI input)