Tehseen Akhtar, alleged Indian Mujahideen operator, said to be the Patna blasts mastermind
Six men have been named in the first information report filed by the Patna police in Sunday's serial blasts in the city just before Narendra Modi addressed a rally. Among them is a 23-year-old computer-savvy quick-change artist named Tehseen Akhtar who the police say is the mastermind behind the attacks.
Akhtar, said to be a top Indian Mujahideen operative active in Bihar and Jharkhand who has been on the radar of investigators in connection with other attacks, was in Patna on Sunday, police sources have told NDTV. They allege that Akhtar set up three IM groups for the Patna blasts - one attacked the Railway station, where the first blast took place.
The other two groups are suspected to have struck at the Gandhi Maidan venue of the BJP rally. There were six blasts in and around the park and four live bombs were recovered by the police later. Six people died and more than 80 people were injured.
Among those critically injured is one of the men named in the FIR, Ainul alias Tarique. He is in hospital. A second suspect called Imtiaz alias Kalimuddin Ansari was arrested at Patna Station while running away shortly after the blast.
The four other suspects, including Akhtar, have not been arrested yet.
Tehseen Akhtar is a resident of Samastipur in Bihar and carries a reward of Rs. 10 lakh. He is wanted in connection with blasts in Varanasi, the 2011 serial blasts in Mumbai and the attack in Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad earlier this year.
According to the National Investigation Agency, Akhtar is known to use multiple fake identities.
His most common disguise is believed to be that of a tourist guide, which helps him in recce missions to scope out possible terror targets.
The police say Akhtar is most likely to be spotted near important tourist sites or at cyber cafes that he frequents. They also warn that he is likely to contact shops for SIM cards, which he would buy using fake documents.
Akhtar is "known for inciting communal hatred in society", says the NIA's website.