One of the key accused in the Godhra train burning incident has been arrested almost after 19 years of the incident.

Godhra town police nabbed Rafiq Hussain Bhatuk (51), who was part of the core group involved in the conspiracy. Panchmahal SP, Leena Patil said that Bhatuk was arrested after he had been running for 19 years. A special tip-off led a team of Godhra police to raid a house in Signal Falia area outside the railway station, which led to the arrest of Bhatuk.

Prior to the Godhra incident, he used to stay at Sultan Falia. Statement by a Police official said that Bhatuk was part of the core group which planned the burning of the coach of Sabarmati Express which took the lives of 59 karsewaks. The statement further said that Bhatuk, who used to work as a labourer at the Godhra railway station, had fled to Delhi after the incident & was facing murder and rioting charges among others.

“After fleeing Godhra following the incident, Bhatuk spent most of his time in Delhi where he worked on railway stations and also at construction sites as a labourer. He also sold household items on a handcart,” the SP said.

Patil added that as part of his strategy to evade arrest, Bhatuk shifted his family from Sultan Falia, where he used to live before the Godhra incident, to Signal Falia recently.

(PTI)