In a major breakthrough Gujarat police on Tuesday arrested an absconding accused, Yakub Patalia in the 2002 Godhra train carnage.

63-year-old Patalia was on the run for the past 16 years was nabbed from Godhra town in Central Gujarat by the police following a tip-off. During a patrolling in the wee hours, the police personnel received important information about the location of accused, said a police officer, adding that the police acted promptly on the tip-off and arrested the criminal. “Now we will hand over Patalia to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). S      IT will further investigate in the case,” said the official.

In the Godhra train carnage case, Gujarat High Court had commuted the death sentence of 11 to life imprisonment, while upholding the life sentence of 20 other convicts. A trial court had convicted 31 and acquitted 63 accused. The High Court had upheld the acquittals.

When he was in his late forties, Patalia was a part of the mob that burnt S6 coach of Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002 near Godhra railway station in which as many as 59 Kar Sevaks charred to death. The incident of burning of S6 coach triggered communal riots across Gujarat in which more than 2000 people lost their lives.

According to police Yakub Patalia faces charges of attempt to murder under section 307, unlawful assembly under sections 143 and 149, rioting armed with deadly weapons under section 147 and 148, causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty under section 332 and 352 among others. Despite such serious charges, Patalia could evade arrest for 16 long years. It is worth mentioning that Yakub’s two brothers — Kadir and Ayub are also accused in the Godhra train carnage case. Kadir was arrested in the year 2015 and died in prison while undergoing trial. In the case of Ayub, he is serving life imprisonment at Vadodara jail.