Daijiworld Media Network - Amaravati

Amaravati, Jul 3: In a significant breakthrough, two long-wanted terrorists were arrested in Rayachoti town of Annamayya district, Andhra Pradesh, by the Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in collaboration with local police. The duo, Abu Bakar Siddique alias Amanullah and Mohammed Ali alias Mansoor, are linked to the banned terror outfit Al-Umma and were allegedly conspiring to execute bomb blasts in three major Indian cities.

During the operation, a large quantity of explosive material, enough to manufacture 50–60 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), was recovered. The anti-terror unit OCTOPUS defused a 20 kg suitcase bomb found near the office of the Rayachoti Deputy Superintendent of Police. Police officials, including DIG of Kurnool Range Dr. Koya Praveen and Annamayya SP V. Vidyasagar Naidu, revealed that the accused had been living in Rayachoti under false identities for over 20 years, operating a sari business while maintaining a low profile. They had married local women and were deeply embedded in the community.

Seized items included ammonium nitrate mixed with fuel oil, suspected TNT-based slurry explosives, PETN-based bombs, potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, potassium permanganate, gunpowder, ball bearings, clock mechanisms, pressure switches, digital storage devices, hacking software, walkie-talkies, maps of Indian cities, religious literature, and property documents. Police suspect the duo were technical experts in assembling IEDs and may have had a hand in the 2013 Malleshwaram blast in Bangalore.

The accused were also previously linked to major terror incidents in Tamil Nadu, including the 1995 Nagur Police Station attack, the Chintadripet blast, and the 2011 pipe-bomb plot during L.K. Advani’s Rath Yatra. Mohammed Ali is implicated in the 1999 bombing near the Commissioner’s Office in Chennai and in a failed explosives transport attempt in the Cochin–Kurla Express.

Rayachoti police also arrested the wives of the accused, Sheikh Sair Banu and Sheikh Shameem, for their alleged involvement. Both have been sent to judicial custody and lodged in Kadapa Jail. Police are investigating the possibility of local assistance in the procurement and preparation of explosives, though no evidence has yet emerged of recruitment or training activities in the area.

The arrests have triggered a wider investigation involving multiple intelligence agencies, focusing on dismantling any remaining support networks and tracing the origin of the explosives. The bust highlights the persistent threat posed by sleeper cells operating in unsuspecting areas.