According to the Crime Branch, Karimullah was living with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Anees Ibrahim in Karachi till February 2006, and has told the police that criminals on the city police’s most wanted list, including Dawood, Anees, their brother Noora, Chhota Shakeel, Tiger Memon and counterfeit currency kingpin Aftab Batki, are all based in Karachi. The Crime Branch will now hand over Karimullah to the CBI, the investigating agency in the serial bomb blasts case, which will produce him before the TADA court on Friday.

“Unit 6 of the Crime Branch received information that a very important absconding accused in the 1993 serial blasts case could be found in Nallasopara. Acting on this, we arrested Karimullah Khan Osan Khan this morning. He left India in June or July of 1993, and a Red Corner Notice was issued against him in 1995. The CBI also put out a reward of Rs 5 lakh for his arrest,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria.

Elaborating on the role played by Karimullah in the blasts, Maria said, “He was Eijaz Pathan’s right hand man and was responsible for overseeing both landings of arms, ammunition and explosives at Shekhadi, Mhasla, and provided protection for their transportation from Shekhadi to Mumbra. He was also responsible for transporting the RDX used from Mumbra to Bandra, from where it was later taken to Al Husseini Building in Mahim. Karimullah also arranged youth to be sent to Pakistan for terrorist training.”

According to the police, after fleeing from the country, Karimullah reached Dubai and then went to Karachi, where he was in close touch with Anees Ibrahim and Dawood. In February 2006, he left Karachi for Kathmandu, and then crossed over into India by road. “Karimullah was working as an estate agent. We are probing whether he got into the business at the behest of Dawood,” said Maria.