A suspect wanted in connection with the May 2014 bomb blast at the Chennai Central railway station, that left one dead, has been arrested. The police on Saturday arrested two persons including the suspect identified as Rafi, while probing a robbery case. A woman was killed and 14 others injured when two low-intensity bombs exploded in a span of five minutes in two coaches of the Bangalore-Guwahati train at the busy Central Railway station in Chennai on May 1, 2014.
In addition to Rafi and Yashin, the police are on the lookout for three more persons in connection with the May 5 robbery incident where a group of five waylaid a jeweller.
The duo, according to police, robbed the jewellery shop owner in "a planned" incident. "The two had keenly watched the jewellery shop owner and struck at an opportune time, relieving him of gold," a senior police officer told PTI. Acting on the complaint of the shop owner, the Periamet police launched a hunt to trace the culprits. "We watched the CCTV footage and traced one of them with the help of the number plate of the vehicle used by them," the police added.
Of the two, Yashin was arrested on May 10 from Allikulam and based on his confession, the police team zeroed in on the hideout of his accomplice who was later identified as Rafi. Investigation revealed that Rafi was a suspect in the Central railway station blast case in 2014 and had a non-bailable warrant (NBW) pending against him for a year.
About 75 grams of gold, a car and a two-wheeler were seized from Rafi who was later produced before a local court at Chengalpattu and remanded. He had several cases, including a counterfeit currency racket, pending against him. Police said a hunt is on to trace and nab three more persons who were said to be involved in the robbery.
(With inputs from PTI)