Converted Jihadi Mumbai serial blasts case convict held in Kannur.

published on August 31, 2013

KANNUR: Police on Wednesday arrested Manoj Kumar Bhanwarlal Gupta alias Munna, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, from Athazhakunnu here while he was on a visit to his wife’s house.

The Supreme Court had, on March 13, 2013, ruled that Gupta who had served 14 years in jail in the case should be awarded life term as he was part of the conspiracy behind the blasts that killed 257 and injured over 700.

Kannur DSP P Sukumaran said Gupta, who was the 24th accused in the case, was arrested following a tip-off that he was on a visit to his wife Raziya’s house. “It was based on confidential information that the house was raided and the 47-year-old absconding criminal arrested by a special team led by Kannur Town sub-inspector K Sanilkumar early on Wednesday morning,” he said.

Gupta, a native of Etah in Uttar Pradesh, had converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammed Ali at the age of 13. He had married Raziya (36) of Athazhakunnu on November 6, 2008 in a function held in Mumbai. It was with the help of a friend from Kannur that he married her and the woman was taken to Mumbai for the marriage. Police said she had returned to Kannur recently.

Gupta was awarded 14 years’ imprisonment by the special Tada judge in 2006 for his role in the blasts. He had completed almost his entire sentence as an undertrial and was freed in 2007. The SC had enhanced his sentence while deciding on Maharashtra’s appeal in the case.

Gupta was considered a habitual absconder and criminal from young age. He was found guilty of escorting prime absconding accused Tiger Memon on a four-wheeler from Mumbai to Raigad for the Shekhadi landing of the huge cache of arms, ammunition, hand grenades and RDX before the March 12, 1993 blasts and helped in its transportation back to Mumbai, then Bombay.

The SC had given all freed convicts a month’s time to surrender. While all others did, Gupta never showed up and a special court on April 19 directed that warrants be issued against him. Gupta had since been changing locations to evade arrest, police said.

Police said he had visited Kannur a few months ago when the couple’s third child was born but had managed to escape via Nedumbassery airport on getting a tip-off that the police were after him. The DSP said the CBI had been informed about the arrest.