In a major breakthrough in the decades-old Coimbatore serial bomb blasts case, the Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in coordination with Karnataka police and central intelligence agencies, arrested Mohamed Sadiq alias Tailor Raja alias Valantha Raja, a key operative of the banned terror outfit Al-Umma, who had been absconding for over 26 years.
Tailor Raja, aged 48, originally from Bilal Estate in Ukkadam, Coimbatore, was apprehended from Bijapur, Karnataka, according to official sources. Earlier reports had mentioned Chhattisgarh as a possible location where he was picked up before being brought to Tamil Nadu on transit remand. He is currently being interrogated at the PRS Campus in Coimbatore and is likely to be remanded to judicial custody today.
Raja is the third major absconding accused from the 1998 Coimbatore blasts case to be arrested in recent weeks. Just two weeks ago, Abubacker Siddique and Mohammed Ali alias Yunus alias Mansoor—also wanted since 1998—were apprehended from Annamayya district in Andhra Pradesh in a joint operation by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh police. Abubacker, reportedly a skilled bomb maker, had been involved in multiple bombings across Tamil Nadu and neighboring states.
Tailor Raja is believed to have played a crucial logistical role in the preparation of the 1998 Coimbatore bombings, which killed 58 people and injured over 200 civilians on February 14, a day before then-BJP leader L.K. Advani was scheduled to address a public meeting. The coordinated blasts had shaken Tamil Nadu and led to one of the largest anti-terror crackdowns in South India.
Investigative agencies confirm that Raja was one of the four most-wanted absconding accused in the Coimbatore blasts case. He was an active frontline cadre of Al-Umma, founded by the case’s prime accused, SA Basha.
Raja, a tailor by profession, had rented a house in Vallal Nagar, Ukkadam, which was allegedly used as a bomb-making facility by Al-Umma extremists. His links to multiple terror activities have been confirmed, including:
- The 1996 Nagore Aalim George murder case
- The 1997 Madurai jailer murder case
- The 1998 Coimbatore serial bombings
He also has pending murder cases at the Nagore, Race Course (Coimbatore), and Karimedu (Madurai) police stations.
According to reliable sources, Raja fled Coimbatore shortly after the 1998 blasts, traveling to Mandya district in Karnataka with accomplices. While others were eventually arrested or caught, Raja remained elusive. Reports suggest he lived under assumed identities, working in tailoring shops and moving between towns in Karnataka and possibly Chhattisgarh.
He was married, but after his disappearance, his wife remarried. Raja is said to have one son, and is survived by one younger brother, Salim, following the death of another sibling.
While Tailor Raja’s arrest is a significant success, another key accused, Mujibur Rehman from Oppanakkara Street, Coimbatore, still remains untraced. He too has been absconding since 1998 in connection with the same bomb blast case. Police sources confirm that the manhunt continues with fresh inputs from central agencies and confidential sources.
