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Main suspect in Jaipur blasts held

Lucknow/Jaipur: In the first arrest in connection with the Jaipur serial blasts, the main suspect was arrested in Lucknow on Monday.

In a joint operation, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh police and their Rajasthan counterparts held Shahbaz Hussain from the posh Aminabad locality in connection with the blasts that left 64 people dead on May 13 this year.

Additional Director-General of U.P. Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal said that a Rajasthan police team led by an ASP came to Lucknow with warrants to arrest Shahbaz, who runs a cyber cafe and computer centre in Aminabad.

A native of Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh, Shahbaz had set up a computer centre near a women’s college, Mr. Lal said.

Shahbaz’s name cropped up during investigations into the bomb blasts, he added.

Shahbaz was produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate R.P. Tripathi, who granted him a 48-hour transit remand for taking him to Jaipur where he would appear before the CJM.

Uttar Pradesh police told the court that Shahbaz Hussain alias Shahbaz Ahmed was wanted by the Jaipur court which also issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

Shahbaz faces charges under various sections of the IPC relating to murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. Charges were also framed under the Explosives Act and the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities Act.

A senior Rajasthan Crime Branch official said in Jaipur that 32-year-old Shahbaz is the main conspirator of bomb blasts. He had formed a team to carry out the blasts and provided them with money and other facilities, he said.

A case has been lodged with the Manak Chowk police station here, he said.

Earlier, a team of the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Rajasthan reached Lucknow to arrest Shahbaz.

This was the first arrest so far in connection with the Jaipur blasts though several suspects have been interrogated since the blast occurred, he said.

Shahbaz Hussain, a science graduate and a diploma holder in mass communication, was working as freelance journalist too, the official said. — PTI

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