By TCN News,
Kochi: One of the accused in the Panayikkulam SIMI camp case, who has reportedly been absconding, was arrested yesterday at the International Airport in Kochi. The accused, known to be Nisar (27) of Aluva, was caught by the Emigration Department when he came from Sharjah on Sunday early morning. He was later presented before the NIA court in Kochi and remanded to police custody till April 4.
Nisar is the 17th accused in the case. He is reported to have attended the alleged camp of the SIMI held in the Happy Auditorium in Aluva on August 15, 2006. The local police had not included him among the accused, but the state ATS included him. But by the time he had already left for Sharjah, according to reports. He was named 17th accused by the NIA which took over the case last year. The Agency had reportedly asked him to surrender via relatives and the embassy. Then a look-out circular was issued, based on which the Emigration Department at the airport caught him.
The incident leading to the case took place on the Independence Day in 2006. A meeting was convened on the topic ‘Role of Muslims in the freedom struggle’ at the Happy Auditorium at Panayikkulam near Aluva in Ernakulam district. It is said that the meeting was public in nature and that it was announced in the masjid nearby and notices distributed. Police entered the hall and arrested the people there accusing it was a secret meeting of the banned SIMI. The local police investigated the case and found that only five persons were related to the SIMI and released the others. The case was then handed over to the state ATS which re-included those released by the local police. When the investigation was going on, the case was suddenly handed over to the NIA in January 2010.
The NIA submitted the chargesheet in the NIA court in Kochi on December 30, 2010. There are a total of 17 persons accused, among which the 16th accused Abdur Rasheed Moulavi has reportedly got ready to reveal all details becoming an approver. Two of the accused – PA Shaduli of Erattupetta and Ansar Nadwi of Kadungallore – are also accused in the Ahmedabad blast.