Fake Aadhaar racket suspected after seizure of forged documents from Coimbatore blast accused’s Vijayapura house

Vijayapura : In a startling revelation, Tamil Nadu’s anti-terrorism squad has uncovered multiple fake documents — including Aadhaar cards, bank passbooks, and a driving licence — from the residence of 1998 Coimbatore serial blast accused, Tailor Raja alias Raja Siddiqui, in Vijayapura. The discovery has sparked suspicions of a larger fake Aadhaar network operating to shield terror suspects.

According to officials, the Tamil Nadu Q Branch (anti-terrorism wing) had arrested Raja Siddiqui from Vijayapura city on July 9, 2025. The fugitive had been absconding for 27 years after being named in the 1998 Coimbatore bombings, which killed 58 people and injured more than 250.

During searches at his rented house in the Ibrahim Roza area of Vijayapura, investigators seized forged documents bearing different identities. Among the recovered materials were fake Aadhaar cards, a bank passbook, gas connection booklets, and a driver’s licence — all issued under pseudonyms. Officials said these findings raise concerns about a deep-rooted fake document network aiding wanted extremists in obtaining new identities and evading the law.

Years on the run
Raja Siddiqui, originally from Tamil Nadu, reportedly fled the state soon after the 1998 Coimbatore blasts and lived under multiple aliases across India. He is said to have stayed in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, where he learned tailoring and worked under a different name.

By 2014, Siddiqui had relocated to Karnataka and started living in Vijayapura under the name Shahajan Sheikh. He was also involved in wholesale vegetable trading at the local APMC market and was known in the community as a quiet, hardworking trader. Investigations have revealed that he had also briefly stayed in Hubballi and Almel before settling in Vijayapura.

Possible link to document forgery syndicate
The Tamil Nadu Q Branch is now probing how Siddiqui obtained fake identity documents that allowed him to live undetected for nearly a decade in Karnataka. Investigators suspect a network providing forged IDs to individuals seeking to conceal their past or evade arrest.

Sources said the recovered materials have been sent for forensic verification, and police in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are coordinating to trace the origin of the forged documents.

Officials hinted that more arrests could follow as part of a larger crackdown on fake Aadhaar and identity rackets possibly linked to terror funding and sleeper cell activities.