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Madras police recover explosives, arrest four

The Tamil Nadu police arrested four people, including a ward secretary of the Puratchi Thalaivi Magalir Narpani Arangam, the women's wing of a welfare organisation named after All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha, for harbouring extremists.

The officials seized 77 kilograms of explosives from their house at Arumbakkam, Madras, early Saturday.

Madras Police Commissioner P Kalimuthu told newsmen that the explosives were recovered from two iron boxes and three suitcases in the first floor of the house during a raid. The explosives in the suitcases were connected to timer devices.

He said the landlady and Arangam secretary Fathima Beevi confessed to the police that the extremists -- Ayesha alias Sangeeta, her husband Mohammed Ibrahim and Zakir Hussain, both wanted in connection with another seizure of explosives, had taken the first floor on rent on March 6.

Though Zakir Hussain left the place on March 17 after coming to know from newspapers that the police were on to him, Ayesha had stayed on.

Fathima admitted that she had advised the fugitives not to venture out as the police were on the look out.

Kalimuthu said besides Fathima, her husband Abu Baker, daughter Kadir Beevi and son-in-law Syed Hassan were arrested on charges of conspiracy and harbouring wanted criminals.

The seized explosives and bombs have been taken to the Veerapuram police firing range for defusing, he added.

In another incident, the Poonamalee police recovered 211 gelatine sticks from a suitcase handed over by a businessman, Syed Ithyagar.

Ithyagar told the police that the suitcase was given to him by a man, Hussain, a few days ago, saying he would collect it later.

When he found from photographs in newspapers that Hussain was among the six people arrested at Tambaram two days ago in connection with seizure of explosives in the city, Ithyagar had decided to inform the police.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Madras police seize 11 bombs, arrest 6 Al-Umma activists

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