The Hindu : Front Page : Five held in Coimbatore, explosive materials seized

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 23, 2006

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Five held in Coimbatore, explosive materials seized

V.S. Palaniappan

`Conspiracy to bomb hospital and other places foiled,' explosive materials seized

Coimbatore: The Coimbatore city police on Saturday arrested five persons and recovered materials and components meant for assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Commissioner Karan Singha told reporters that the police had, in the last fortnight, stepped up surveillance on a couple of suspects. With inputs pointing the finger at a group trying to assemble bombs and plant them on Saturday, the police conducted a pre-dawn swoop at three different locations.

First, the police searched a house at Kurichipirivu in the Podanur police limits, arrested brothers Haroon Basha and Malik Basha, and seized components for assembling an IED. Later, they searched a house in the Ganapathy area from where Tippu Sultan and Athikur Rehman were arrested.

Some documents and explosive materials were seized. The operation ended with the arrest of K. Samsudeen of Ramanathapuram, suspected to be a co-conspirator.

The recovered explosive materials are suspected to be a potassium chlorate mixture (weighing close to 400 gm), glass pieces, iron balls, small iron pipes, two batteries, a country bomb and an electric detonator. These could be used to make low-intensity bombs. The idea was to create a fear psychosis by unleashing terror.

Bid to blast hospital

A map with eight places marked was also recovered. Going by the markings, police suspect that the accused had plans to plant explosives in the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital and a few other places. The seized documents include photographs, names and details of a route map of the houses of activists of Hindu outfits, and their daily walking routine.

Special teams led by Deputy Commissioners K. Shanmugavel and P.C. Thenmozhi and Assistant Commissioner V. Rathinasabapathy, conducted the operations.

Mr. Singha lauded the officers and their teams for the ``meticulously planned successful operation.''

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