COIMBATORE: A. Sadiq, alias ‘Tailor Raja’, a key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts, was arrested on Wednesday in Vijayapura, Karnataka, after evading arrest for 27 years. He was apprehended by Coimbatore police from his shop in a local vegetable market, following a tip-off.
A police team had been monitoring Sadiq’s movements in Vijayapura before making the arrest. He was brought to Coimbatore and handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which is keeping him in a high-security facility at the Police Recruit School campus.
Sadiq, now 50, was a known Al-Umma operative and had been residing in Ukkadam, Coimbatore, in 1998. He played a significant role in the planning and execution of the February 14 serial blasts that killed 58 people and injured over 250. He was also skilled in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and had rented a house in Vallal Nagar to store and distribute bombs to fellow operatives between February 12 and 14.
After the blasts, Sadiq fled to Hubballi, Karnataka, and worked as a daily wage labourer. He married, fathered three children, and eventually moved to Vijayapura 15 years ago, adopting the alias “Shajahan.” Under his new identity, he obtained an Aadhaar card, driving licence, and other official documents. He worked at the market before setting up a shop selling chillies.
During interrogation, Sadiq denied involvement in the blasts and expressed shock at being tracked down. He was medically examined at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital before being presented in Judicial Magistrate Court-V, which remanded him in custody until July 24. He is currently lodged in Coimbatore Central Prison, and the ATS is expected to take him into custody for further questioning.
In addition to the 1998 blasts, Sadiq is also linked to the 1996 petrol bomb attack in Coimbatore that killed jail warden Boopalan, the 1996 murder of Sayeetha in Nagore, and the 1997 killing of jailor Jayaprakash in Madurai.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin addressed the arrest on X (formerly Twitter), crediting the recently formed ATS—established in 2023 under the Dravidian model government—for successfully capturing long-absconding terror suspects. He praised the ATS, Coimbatore city police, Intelligence Section, and police teams from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for their coordinated efforts.
