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Phones promised to us to attend meet: PwDs in Tamil Nadu

Phones promised to us to attend meet: PwDs in Tamil Nadu

TIRUNELVELI: Around 10 visually impaired people submitted a petition to the district administration on Monday during a public grievance redressal meet, alleging that the officials have failed to distribute smartphones after promising to do so.
P Shenbagavalli, one of the petitioners, stated, 'The officials from the district revenue office asked us to attend a government event assuring us smartphones and a central government-sponsored scheme. We arrived at 8 am and were present till the end, but no phones were given to us. When we followed up, officials also used abusive language.'
Meanwhile, residents of Fathima Nagar near Palayamchettikulam opposed a proposal to open a TASMAC liquor outlet on Melakkulam Road, stating that the area is densely populated and has temples and schools nearby.
They also said that the area is prone to crimes like sexual harassment and chain snatching.
In another petition, village heads of Malayalamedu and Thenpathu, Kannan and Rajkumar, requested that the invitation for the Nellaiappar temple car festival include the names of their villages and claimed that their community has been performing for years in the car festival.
Subramanian, a petitioner, demanded that a public road near Krishnan Kovil in Ward 33 of Palayamkottai zone be reopened soon.
Police also detained a man named S Stephen from NGO colony after he was allegedly seen distributing Christian pamphlets near the collectorate. Hindu Munnani functionary Manikanda Mahadevan complained in this regard.
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Youth arrested for trying to murder schoolboy near Coimbatore
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Youth arrested for trying to murder schoolboy near Coimbatore

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'Justice After Decades': Annamalai Hails TN ATS For Arrest Of 3 Terrorists After 30 Years
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'Justice After Decades': Annamalai Hails TN ATS For Arrest Of 3 Terrorists After 30 Years

Last Updated: He recalled his meeting with Muthukrishnan's family during the En Mann En Makkal Padayatra in December 2023. Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Monday praised the Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for arresting three long-absconding terrorists nearly three decades after their alleged involvement in a series of deadly terror attacks across the state. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Annamalai said the arrests of Sadiq Ali (also known as Tailor Raja), Mohammed Ali Mansoor, and Abubacker Siddique marked a significant milestone. 'Heartfelt appreciation to the Tamil Nadu ATS, Andhra Pradesh State Police, and all officers involved," he wrote. The three accused were key members of the banned terror outfit Al-Ummah. They were linked to the 1998 Coimbatore serial bombings that claimed 58 lives, the 1993 bombing of the RSS office in Chennai, and the 1995 targeted killing of the wife of Hindu Munnani leader Muthukrishnan in Nagore. The 1995 attack used a bomb hidden inside a Ramayana book and was intended for Muthukrishnan himself. 'These terrorists lived under false identities, hiding in plain sight," Annamalai wrote, calling the arrests 'a crack in one of the longest-standing terror cases." He recalled his meeting with Muthukrishnan's family during the En Mann En Makkal Padayatra in December 2023. 'The wounds of that loss, though decades old, were still fresh in their eyes. Their strength, resilience, and quiet hope for justice have stayed with me ever since," he added. Annamalai praised the investigation teams for combining human intelligence with artificial intelligence to track down the fugitives. He said the arrests restore faith in justice and represent a critical moment in the state's efforts against terrorism. 'This breakthrough delivers long-overdue justice and brings closure to many families," he said. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Human intel and some tech: How Tamil Nadu nabbed 3 terror accused after 30 years
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Indian Express

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Human intel and some tech: How Tamil Nadu nabbed 3 terror accused after 30 years

For over a decade, the chilli commission agent named Shahjahan Shaik was just another familiar face in the APMC yard of Vijayapura, northern Karnataka. A quiet man with three children, he worked long hours, rented a modest house, and disappeared into the crowd when the market closed. What his co-traders didn't know was that the man they greeted every day was Sadiq Ali — better known in the early 1990s as 'Tailor' Raja, a frontline cadre of the banned extremist outfit Al-Ummah and a key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bombings that killed 58 and injured over 250. Raja — A18 or Accused 18, in the Coimbatore Blast case (Cr. No. 151/98) who was arrested on July 9 by the ATS — was not alone. 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By 1996, however, his tailoring allegedly gave way to bloodier trades: petrol bombings, revenge killings, and finally, involvement in the Coimbatore blasts that targeted BJP leader L K Advani. After the attacks, Raja disappeared, allegedly wandering across Hubballi, Solapur, and Guntur, before settling down in Vijayapura under the false identity of Shahjahan Shaik — the name of his elder brother still living in Coimbatore. By then, Raja had allegedly severed contact with his first wife, remarried, and had children. They never knew who he was. While verdicts were delivered in the case between 2007 and 2008, Raja's split-up trial remains. What helped the ATS finally trace him was allegedly a black mole — a barely visible spot on an old photograph. 'We fed the photo into AI software to generate a probable aging sketch,' said a senior ATS officer. 'We showed it to a group of old tailors in Hubli. One of them remembered the mole. That cracked it open.' 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In 2011, he was allegedly part of a group plotting an assassination attempt on a top BJP leader — a plan that was foiled when Tamil Nadu police intercepted their team formation stage. Later, he was linked to the murder of Dr Arvind Reddy in 2012, along with Kitchen Buhari's group — a known offshoot of Bengaluru's 2013 Malleswaram blast accused. The top ATS officer who coordinated his arrest said Siddique lived in Rayachoti in Andhra Pradesh from 2002, selling used clothes on platforms, investing in small real estate deals, and running a petty shop. He allegedly married again in 2021. 'He would vanish once a month claiming he was visiting family in Tamil Nadu, but he'd be relaxing in Kerala or Bengaluru,' the officer said. 'We had 10 failed tip-offs over the last decade. The 11th one finally led us to him.' Using AI-based sketches and months of surveillance, the ATS located him. On June 30, he was summoned to a nearby station — where he allegedly gave himself up. He also allegedly gave up Mohammed Ali Mansoor, who was running a textile shop and was arrested from the same town, Rayachoti. Police found 2kg of ammonium nitrate, cotex wire, and metal bolts during the raid that followed. The Tamil Nadu ATS, created in response to the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast, operates with over 350 officers and state-wide jurisdiction, it focuses on old terror cases, sleeper cells, and absconders. In less than a year, the unit has cracked one of the longest-running terror hunts in southern India. DGP Shankar Jiwal said it was 'a professional, tireless effort' using both HUMINT (covert intelligence gathering) and TECHINT (using technical sources and methods). The identity of all three accused was confirmed within 24 hours of detention, he said. Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a post on X, hailed the arrests as 'a proud moment for Tamil Nadu Police' and thanked Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Police for their cooperation.

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