Mumbai serial blast convict Jalees Ansari arrested in UP's Kanpur after jumping parole; 'Dr Bomb' was trying to flee country, claims police

A convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Dr Jalees Ansari, who went missing while on parole, was on Friday arrested in Kanpur by the Uttar Pradesh special task force.

Uttar Pradesh Police DG OP Singh was quoted by reports as saying that Ansari was trying to flee the country.

The 68-year-old, convicted for the 1993 blasts, was on 21-day parole from Rajasthan’s Ajmer Central Prison and was scheduled to appear before the authorities on Friday. However, on Thursday night, his family filed a missing person report in Mumbai’s Agripada police station.

Speaking with ANI, Singh said, Ansari was arrested while coming out from a mosque in Kanpur. “He has been brought to Lucknow. It’s a big achievement of UP Police,” he said.

UP DGP OP Singh: Jalees Ansari (serial blasts convict who was out on parole when a missing complaint was filed by his family y'day in Mumbai) has been arrested when he was coming out from a mosque in Kanpur. He has been brought to Lucknow. It's big achievement of UP Police. pic.twitter.com/olY5PeTycC

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 17, 2020

While on parole, Ansari was instructed to register his presence at the Agripada police station every day between 10.30 am and 12 pm, NDTV reported . Also known as ‘Doctor Bomb’, Ansari is serving a life sentence and is “suspected to be involved in over 50 bomb blast cases across the country”, the report said.

He also allegedly had links with terror groups like SIMI and Indian Mujahideen and is accused of teaching militants how to make bombs.

“He was trying to flee the country,”  Singh told India Today TV , according to a report_._

NDTV also quoted Uttar Pradesh Police officials as saying that Ansari, who hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar district and holds an MBBS degree, could have been trying to leave India via Nepal.

“He was arrested due to an anonymous tip-off to a senior STF officer,” the report added.

With inputs from agencies