The Hindu : Front Page : Sketches of blast suspects released

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 11, 2006
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Sketches of blast suspects released

Arunkumar Bhatt

MUMBAI: Police on Sunday released sketches of two men who had bought a new bicycle from a shop in Malegaon. They are suspected to have used it for placing a bomb on Friday in the powerloom town.

Pieces of new bicycles found at the sites of the four bomb blasts led police to believe that the explosive devices were in tiffin boxes placed on the bicycle carriers.

Bicycle trail

One such bicycle was bought on the eve of the blasts from a shop in Malegaon, owned by Mr. Dinesh Agarwal. His salesman, Sohail told the police that two men had come to buy it and got it fitted with the carrier. The fitter of the shop, Mobin mounted the carrier and the duo paid Rs. 2,200, including Rs. 300 for the accessory.

They described the appearance of the two men and the police got their sketches prepared.

A breakthrough

In Mumbai, Subodh Jaiswal who heads the Special Investigation Team set up to unravel the Malegaon blasts, said the sketches were a breakthrough.

On the type of explosive used in the four bombs, Nashik Inspector-General of Police, P.K. Jain said the report of the forensic laboratory, examining traces of the "high energy material" found on debris at the bomb sites, was awaited. He could not say if the material was RDX but confirmed that it was a high intensity explosive.

He said the type of explosive alone was not a determinant of the intensity of the blast. Police are expecting the lab report in a day or two. The forensic experts collected the debris and other articles on Saturday.

Tense moments

Malegaon that showed remarkable resilience in returning to normality within a day of the blasts, witnessed tense moments on Sunday. A crowd confronted the District Superintendent of Police, Rajwardhan, demanding why the police were taking so long to arrest the culprits.

Police refused the Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha Member, Abu Azmi, permission to hold a rally and succeeded in defusing the tension.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page