Ibrahim Dhantiya alias Kachuka, an accused in the Godhra train burning case, was handed over to Gujarat Police on Monday, after the Rajasthan Police picked him up at the Munabao railway station in Barmer.

Dhantiya had allegedly fled to Pakistan after incident and was returning to India on the Thar Express when immigration authorities arrested him. The police said Dhantiya was handed over to Gujarat Police on Monday.

P Ramjee, Superintendent of Police, Jodhpur CID (Special Branch) said: “He was stopped at the immigration point at Munabao railway station in Barmer. He was travelling on the Thar Express. We handed him over to Gujarat Police on Monday.”

According to immigration authorities, Dhantiya’s passport had expired in 2007 but he had tampered it to extend the expiry date to 2017.

Meanwhile, Dhantiya has been handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Godhra carnage.

Panchmahals Superintendent of Police J R Mothaliya said: “Interpol had issued an alert against Dhantiya, Salim Ibrahim Badam alias Paanwalla and Farukh Bana who had absconded from Godhra after the incident. Interrogation is likely to commence soon.”

Gujarat Police had long suspected Kachuka and the others accused in the Godhra train burning of fleeing to Pakistan after the incident.

The police had named them in the chargesheet as one of the main conspirators who had planned the fire that burnt coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002.