Andhra Pradesh police launch fresh raids in the house of terror suspect Abubacker Siddique and seize a parcel bomb.
Rayachoti, Andhra Pradesh, India—July 6, 2025: In a vital twist to an ongoing terror investigation, Andhra Pradesh police on July 5, 2025, raided the house belonging to Abubacker Siddique, one of two terror suspects recently arrested in Rayachoti in Annamayya district. During the late-minute hits with the suspects, the authorities seized a parcel bomb meant to be delivered to an address in Delhi, along with other incriminating material that further cemented the links with an alleged terror plot with far-reaching consequences.
Crucial New Evidence
The searches discovered parcel bombs carefully prepared for delivery to a Delhi address in the newly vigorous searches starting after the arrest of Siddique and the other suspect, Mohammed Ali, earlier this week by the Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad. Investigators are now actively pursuing the Delhi connections of the accused and seem to be inspecting connections with foreign terrorist organizations. This shows the design of the alleged conspiracy is changing and has wider areas of reach.
Key Suspects with Historical Accusations
Abubacker Siddique, per Koya Praveen, Kurnool Range Deputy Inspector General of Police, is a “big fish” and an expert bomb maker with a history of involvement in extremist activities who walked three months away from everything on the face of this world. He is, however, reportedly ideologically influenced by fugitive preacher Zakir Naik and is believed to have operated as a solitary wolf, offering his expertise sporadically to other radicalized individuals. He is said to have had a hand in the 2013 BJP office bombing in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, and in the L.K. Advani’s rath yatra bomb blast attempt in Madurai in 2011 through the pipe bomb. Both Ali and Siddique are said to be in association with Al Ummah, a banned terrorist organization.
Investigation Scope Widened
Initial raids had already yielded a substantial quantity of materials for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosives from the households of the suspects. This also included daggers, sickles, digital timers, hacking software, maps of Indian cities, and literature in the name of ISIS. They were said to have lived under false identities in Rayachoti for more than two decades and were wanted in relation to multiple high-profile bomb blast cases across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka since 1999, police said. It was already confirmed by the police on July 3 that they had seized a parcel bomb from the duo.
Arrests of Wives and Continued Interrogations
The wives of Siddique and Ali, namely, Shaikh Syra Banu and Shaikh Shameem, have also been arrested, allegedly for obstructing police investigations during the initial raids. They were remanded for 14 days in judicial custody and transferred to Kadapa Central Jail. Their involvement in the active terror plot is also being investigated. Security has been drastically tightened around the suspects’ former residences, with further interrogation of associates closely related to Siddique and Ali. Police are attempting to completely unravel the suspects’ network and collaborators.
