19 Al-Umma men made bombs: Prosecution

COIMBATORE: Relying on the evidence given by 21 witnesses, the prosecution, on Tuesday, argued that 19 Al-Umma men produced and stored bombs in Coimbatore to trigger the serial blasts after procuring explosives from Karnataka and Kerala.

Seizures were effected from 11 of the 19 accused soon after their arrests, for which 16 other witnesses had given evidence.

Continuing their argument in the serial blasts case before the Special Court Judge K Uthirapathy, prosecution counsel T Balasundaram and T A Selvaraj said the Al-Umma men had taken houses on rent in several places in Coimbatore, including Vallal Nagar in Karumbukadai, Bismi Nagar and two places in Tippu Nagar, where they were engaged in manufacturing and storing of bombs.

Moreover, one of the accused Bashid had conducted test blasts at a place between Mettupalayam and Sathyamangalam.

According to the prosecution, one of the witnesses Satish gave evidence for having seen the Al-Umma men, including Yusuf, Hakeem and Sharbudeen involved in manufacturing bombs with the help of detonators and gelatine sticks in the house of one ‘tailor’ Raja, an absconding accused, at Vallal Nagar in Kuniamuthur on January 12, 1998.