Gujarat’s Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested Munaf Halari Mussa, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, from Mumbai airport in the early on Monday. In the serial blasts across the city, 260 people were killed and several hundreds injured.
According to the Gujarat ATS officials, Mr. Mussa was en route to Dubai via Mumbai on a Pakistani passport. Acting on a tip-off, the ATS detained him at Mumbai airport and subsequently arrested him.
Mr Mussa has been on the radar of Gujarat ATS since last year in connection with a ₹900 crore drug smuggling racket following the interrogation of other accused. Five Pakistani nationals were arrested on January 2 in a joint operation by Gujarat’s ATS and Indian Coast Guard.
“We are probing his role in the drugs case since his name had cropped up during interrogation of other accused,” a top official of the ATS told the media persons after his arrest.
A close aide of the main conspirator of Mumbai serial blasts of 1993 Tiger Memon, Mr Halari allegedly played in a crucial role in the planning and execution of the attacks. According to the details, he had acquired three scooters which were laden with explosives and parked at the jewllery hub Zaveri Bazar where they exploded on March 12, 1993.
Following the serial blasts, he fled the country and was hiding in South Africa, ATS officials said.
