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Hyderabad Twin blast convict Maqbool dies in Cherlapally Jail

Hyderabad: Syed Maqbool, also known as Zubair and Shanawaz, a convict in the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case, passed away due to prolonged ill health at Cherlapally Central Prison. Maqbool, 44, an activist of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) terror outfit, had reportedly assembled a pressure cooker bomb for Rs 2000, reliable police sources revealed.

A native of Nanded, Maharashtra, Zubair played a pivotal role in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts, which occurred at the TSRTC bus stand number-7. He had reportedly triggered the bombs using a remote sensor and transmitter/receiver that he prepared after undergoing militant training on the India-Kashmir border with Pakistani terrorists.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Maqbool in 2013, during which he confessed to organizing a series of high-profile attacks across India, including the deadly 2013 Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts. Maqbool, who died on July 25 while undergoing treatment at Cherlapally Central Prison, was linked with Indian Mujahideen members based in Pakistan and India and was deeply involved in various terror plots and conspiracies.

The NIA investigation revealed Maqbool maintained close ties with key figures of the Indian Mujahideen, including top Pakistani IM activists Ubaid-Ur-Rehman, Imran Khan, and Riyaz Bhatkal, who were reportedly present in India at the time of the twin blasts. The conspiracy was hatched by Riyaz, Maqbool, Ubaid, and Imran, with Maqbool triggering the twin blasts.

Before his arrest, Maqbool, along with other IM activists, conducted reconnaissance on major projects in Hyderabad, including dams and irrigation projects, aiming to cause maximum damage. They identified major public places and projects throughout India, conducting extensive reconnaissance of important sites, maps, and blueprints.

Maqbool was arrested by the NIA in 2013 and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023 by a special court in Delhi. The NIA filed a chargesheet detailing the IM's conspiracy and involvement in organizing a series of devastating blasts across the country. These acts of terror included the Varanasi blasts in 2006, the Mumbai serial blasts in 2006, the UP Courts serial blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad, and Lucknow in 2007, the Jaipur serial blasts in 2008, the Delhi serial blasts in 2008, the Ahmedabad serial blasts in 2008, the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore in 2010, and the Hyderabad twin blasts in 2013.

Maqbool was serving a life sentence for his role in the Dilsukhnagar blasts, which claimed 18 lives and injured over 130 people. He was shifted to Cherlapally prison in November 2023 to serve his sentence in connection with cases registered against him in Telangana, sources disclosed.


( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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