House in Melur village that of Niaz's mother, say neighbours

MADURAI: If neighbours are to be believed, then a bungalow in Sandhaipettai in Melur, about 30 km from Madurai, could well be the residence of Fathima, mother of al-Qaida operative Mohamed Niaz, an Indian national arrested in France. Only eight months ago, Fathima, said to be Niaz's mother, had shifted to the bungalow from a humbler residence in the predominantly Muslim locality.
On Tuesday, chief minister J Jayalalithaa told reporters that the Centre had not yet communicated to the state about Niaz's arrest."We have no information," she said. The district police too have made no move to investigate or question anyone in Melur. "We have not got any official information or instruction from the government," a senior police officer told TOI.
But when reporters arrived in Melur on Tuesday morning and began their own investigation, a man claiming to be Niaz's cousin, but seeking anonymity, willingly pointed to the bungalow. "That is where Niaz's mother, Fathima lives."
The house with a small garden in front is occupied by only Fatima. She never interacts with anyone, say neighbours. All they could say was that her husband was working in United Arab Emirates and she has a son working in France. When TOI went knocking on the house, it was locked from inside and no one answered the door bell.
Niaz's mother and father Abdul Rashid were against his militant leanings,' said the man in his late 20s, claiming to be his cousin. The couple had disapproved of his alleged extremist activities. "He was a rebel. Later, he went to Puducherry, about seven or eight years back and then to France. His mother is aware of his recent arrest in France," said the man, claiming to be his relative. He said Niaz's family lived in the same locality for years, but moved into the newly-built bungalow eight months back. The house is shrouded in a veil of secrecy. "The old lady is an introvert and has not interacted with any of us in the last eight months since she came to reside here'' said Padma a neighbour. "She has a son living in France. But we are not aware of his name," she said.
Interestingly, it was in Melur that Al Umma activist Imam Ali, one of the key accused in the 1998 serial Coimbatore bomb blast was born and brought up. Ali, who was later shot dead in an encounter in Bangalore, had tested some of his crude hand made explosives while in Melur.