Syed Abdul Karim Tunda, accused in the 1993 serial bomb blast case, has been acquitted by the TADA court in Ajmer. The TADA court cited a lack of direct evidence against Tunda. This case, involving blasts in Lucknow, Kota, Hyderabad, Surat, Kanpur, and Mumbai, has been pending since 2014.
"Dr Bomb"
Tunda, also known as "Dr Bomb" for his bomb-making skills, was considered close to terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. He was one of 17 accused arrested in connection with the serial blasts that occurred after the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
The court's decision prompted Advocate Shafqat Sultani to state that Abdul Karim Tunda is completely innocent, as no concrete evidence could be presented against him. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had previously regarded Tunda as the mastermind behind the blasts and arrested him in 2013 at the Nepal border.
Terrorism cases against Tunda are pending at various locations in the country. He was alleged to have trained youth for terrorist activities and planned an attack during the Ganesh festival in 1998 alongside a Pakistani national named Junaid.
Tunda's journey into terrorism
Tunda's journey into terrorism began at the age of 40. Before that, he worked as a carpenter and faced investigation for the first time after the 1993 Mumbai blasts, during which he lost his left hand while making a bomb. Accused of working with several terrorist organizations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Indian Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Babbar Khalsa, Tunda has a controversial history.
In the 1997 Delhi bomb blast incident, a youth caught by the Delhi Police revealed that Abdul Karim Tunda was behind the blasts. Tunda, born in a poor family in Delhi, worked in various professions before getting involved in terrorism.
He founded the organisation 'Tanzeem Islah-ul-Muslimeen' with Jalees Ansari in Mumbai before being associated with the Mumbai bomb blasts. Tunda was among the 20 terrorists on India's most wanted list, requested for extradition from the Pakistan government after the 26/11 terrorist attacks.
According to investigating agencies, Tunda is an expert in bomb making and was associated with the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. Upon his arrest, a Pakistani passport issued on January 23, 2013, was reportedly found in his possession.
