New Delhi, Jan 22: Abdul Subhan Qureshi, an alleged member of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India or SIMI, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Monday. The 46-year-old was nabbed after following a brief gunfire in the Ghazipur locality, where he was reportedly found hiding. His arrest comes as a major success for the security forces ahead of the Republic Day celebrations in the national capital.

Who is Abdul Subhan Qureshi?

- A software engineer-turned-"bomb maker", Qureshi was on the top of the most-wanted list of terrorists prepared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He was on the lookout of several security agencies since his alleged involvement in the 2008 serial bomb blasts in Gujarat.

- Qureshi is charged of masterminding the spree of the blasts carried out in Ahmedabad and Surat on July 26, 2008, which claimed 56 lives. A total of 21 bombs were planted by his alleged accomplices. After the fatal terror attack, he was given the title of 'India's Bin Laden'.

- Qureshi was also wanted for his alleged role in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts and the serial bombings in Delhi in 2010.

- Functioning with the pseudo name of 'Tauqeer', Qureshi was allegedly attempting to recreate a group of sleeper cells across India, in a bid to revive the near-defunt terror module of Indian Mujahideen.

- According to reports, Qureshi had worked for several years in notable software companies before being radicalised and recruited by the SIMI. His family, residing in Mumbai, belongs to Uttar Pradesh from where they migrated for economic reasons.

Delhi Special Cell DCP Pramod Kushwah, while addressing the press conference after Qureshi's arrest, said he was hiding in Nepal for several years before returning to India. "Qureshi was living with forged documents in Nepal. He came back to India to revive Indian Mujahideen," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2018 01:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).