19-yr-old who damaged Amar Jawan Jyoti held

The crime branch has arrested one of the two men who allegedly vandalised the Amar Jawan memorial during mob violence at Azad Maidan on August 11. Abdul Qadir Mohammed Ansari, 19, was arrested from Sitamadi in Bihar on Monday.

Ansari had fled the city after news agencies flashed pictures that showed him damaging the memorial. Police tracked him down and arrested him before he could flee to Nepal. The other accused in the case is yet to be traced.

Police sources said Ansari, a Jogeshwari resident, was part of a group that was incited into fomenting trouble at Azad Maidan. He attended several sessions at a Jogeshwari madrassa where preachers exhorted revenge for alleged atrocities against Muslims across the world.

Sources said revelations made by Ansari and Tabrez Mohammed Sayeed — an accused who was arrested on Sunday — reinforce the theory that the violence at Azad Maidan had been planned.

First Published: Aug 29, 2012 01:23 IST