The alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives accused of executing the Patna blasts.
Sources say the investigators probing the Patna serial blasts allege the Raipur Police may have botched the operation to nab the Indian Mujahideen operatives hiding in the Chhattisgarh capital.
Sources in the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the blasts, have alleged that the police in Raipur tipped the local media of the presence of its team in the city. Once the news of their presence was flashed, the accused ran away, the investigators claim.
Four of the alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives suspected to be involved in the October 27 blasts targeting Narendra Modi's rally, reportedly stayed in Raipur for over a fortnight after the incident.
The suspects - Haider Ali, Numan Ansari and Taufeeq Ansari - allegedly left Raipur on November 9, with the police hot on their trail.
The police say the men allegedly planned to run away to Nepal via Motihari in Bihar, but decided to hide in Raipur. Another suspect, Mojibullah, was reportedly not with them.
The Raipur hideout was revealed by eight men arrested in Chhattisgarh last week, all allegedly members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) believed to be closely linked to the Indian Mujahideen.
The NIA has announced a cash reward of upto Rs 10 lakh for any information that could lead to the arrest of these four and another key suspect.
The National Investigation Agency has said that this group was also responsible for July's multiple blasts in Bodh Gaya in Bihar.