Indian police have arrested a top militant wanted for masterminding more than 40 attacks around the country, including the 1993 Mumbai blasts that killed at least 250 people.
Officials say 70-year-old Abdul Karim Tunda was arrested Friday near India's border with Nepal while in possession of a Pakistani passport. He is an alleged member of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
India has listed Tunda among its 20 most wanted militants.
A top police official, S.N. Srivastava, said Saturday Tunda was involved in the 1993 Mumbai attacks that targeted hotels, buildings and banks in India's financial hub. Srivastava said Tunda was also linked to bomb blasts in New Delhi in 1997 and 1998, as well as other attacks in India.
According to Srivastava, Tunda's main role has been to teach Muslim children how to make roadside bombs.
Tunda's arrest comes as India is increasing efforts to improve domestic security since the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
India has blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba for the attacks. It says they were carried out with state support from Pakistan — a charge Islamabad denies.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
