NEW DELHI: The use of an electronic timer in the bomb that exploded in a Delhi Transport Corporation bus in the Govindpuri area of South Delhi this past Saturday suggests that it had been smuggled in from across the border and that those who assembled it here in the Capital were experts at handling explosives.

An electronic timer is used in bombs for near-perfect execution of the "job". While there is a common perception that such timers are factory-made, there have been instances in the past indicating that they are being manufactured by well organised terrorist groups based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with the help of technical assistance.

The timers are fixed to the explosives and activated with the help of batteries. In the Govindpuri blast case also, the police found parts of the batteries from the site of the explosion. Such timers constitute an electronic circuit comprising a `resistance', which when ceases to function due to passing of the current, breaks the circuit triggering the bomb. There are resistances of various time-gaps that have been made available to the terrorist groups.

"The use of such a timer indicates the involvement of a militant outfit which has easy access to sophisticated explosive devices," said a senior Delhi Police officer.

As part of their effort to crack the module behind the series of blasts, the police on Wednesday released three sketches of the person who had kept a bag containing bomb in the bus at Govindpuri around 5-45 p.m.

To zero in on those involved in the blasts, the Special Cell is analysing calls made and received through mobile phones and public booths located near the places were the bombs went off. According to sources, it would take a couple of days to scan all the calls and sort out numbers for further technical investigation.

Meanwhile, raids were being conducted at suspected hideouts of terrorists in the Capital and neighbouring States.

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