The blast site at Khau Galli in Zaveri Bazar, two
days after the incident. (Mid-Day)
Although investigating officials refused to identify any particular outfit as the chief suspect behind Wednesday's terror blasts in Mumbai that led to the death of 19 people and injured 130, the Indian Mujahideen (IM) group seems to have emerged as the main suspect.
On Saturday, a Mumbai Police team arrived in Ahmedabad to question a recently arrested Indian Mujahideen operative named Danish Riaz. Riaz was arrested last month in connection with the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts.
According to reports, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) suspects the hand of an IM module in Kolkata. The ATS has sought assistance from Kolkata Police asking them to verify if any IM member travelled to Mumbai from Kolkata in the last few days. The ATS has specifically asked their Kolkata counterparts to check railway passenger reservation charts and details of passengers travelling from Kolkata to Mumbai and Kolkata to Kanpur in the last few days.
The ATS is believed to be trying to trace an IM operative identified as Abdullah, who has reportedly recruited some youths for the outfit from Kolkata. Abdullah is alleged to have been involved in the American Center shootout in Kolkata in 2002.
According to some reports, an ATS team is likely to reach Indore to quiz Abu Faizal, another IM member, who was arrested in Bhopal for a bank robbery case. Also under the scanner is IM's Karnataka-based operatives Riaz and Iqbal Bhatkal. They fled to Pakistan after masterminding a series of blasts between 2005 and 2007 in Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
The use of improvised explosive devices in the blasts has many experts looking for a possible IM involvement.
The death toll rose to 19 on Saturday with 42 year-old Babulal Das who was admitted to Saifee Hospital, succumbing to his injuries.