Ahmedabad: Abdul Sattar Batliwala, who supplied RDX for the deadly Mumbai blasts and managed to evade arrests for over two decades, is finally in the police dragnet, according to a media report.
Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has reportedly sniffed him out of the posh Bandra West colony in Mumbai.
It has emerged that the 60-year-old accused has been living as a neighbour to some top Bollywood actors and a cricket star.
According to Times of India, Batliwala, who has been in hiding for the past 23 years following the serial blasts, was arrested on Saturday night.
Citing ATS officials, the report said that Batliwala is one of the key accused in Gosabara arms and RDX landing case of 1993.
And one of the explosives consignments were allegedly used in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, which killed more than 250 people.
It is alleged that Batliwala attended a meeting called by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in Dubai along with his brother Anis days before the blasts.
The report said that ATS nabbed Batliwala while he was passing via Khar in his vehicle.
"A few months prior to the blast, a plan was chalked out with the help of Pakistan intelligence service, ISI, to smuggle explosives and arms to avenge the death of Muslims in the riots that had broken out in Mumbai after the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Batliwala was allegedly present at Dubai meeting," TOI quoted an ATS official as saying.
Meanwhile, Batliwala has been handed over to Jamnagar police for further investigation.
"Around 50 accused have been arrested till now in the Gosabara arms and RDX landing case while 16, including Dawood Ibarahim, Anis Ibarahim, Mohammed Dosa and Chhota Shakeel, are still absconding," Shukla added.
Batliwala hails from Nanded in Maharashtra and had been running a hotel and furniture business, the report said.
