The National Investigation Agency dug out 18 live timer bombs and three detonators from a deserted land in Ranchi's Seethio village on Saturday evening
The suspects arrested in connection with the Patna serial blasts planned to use the explosives - which were recovered in Ranchi yesterday - for future attacks, said sources in the National Investigation Agency.
The NIA had recovered six timers and 18 live bombs in Ranchi yesterday at the instance of a person who was detained in connection with the multiple blasts at an election rally in Patna, which was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in October last year.
NIA sources claimed that Feroz Alam, one of the arrested accused, had concealed the bombs. He had also played the role of a major facilitator during the Patna blasts, they claimed.
The agency is also probing the role played by the doctor of a leading hospital, allegedly an associate of the suspects, in the blasts, said sources.
After a detailed interrogation of four persons of the Ranchi module -- including one Hyder Ali, who was allegedly linked to banned terror groups like SIMI (Student's Islamic Movement of India) and the Indian Mujahideen, the NIA identified some more members of this module, official sources said.
The arrest of the four people on May 20 had unraveled a conspiracy by the 'Ranchi module' to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October last year when he was addressing a political rally in Patna, the NIA had claimed.
Following leads, the NIA had on Friday night detained two persons -- Ifthekar and Feroz Alam -- and at their instance recovered six timers and 18 live bombs near Sithio village and detonators and explosives from Hindpirhi in Jharkhand, the sources said.
NIA had claimed the arrested persons had told their interrogators during questioning that they wanted to target Narendra Modi and had also carried out dry runs at five places -- Akbarpur, Kanpur, Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Delhi and Patna.
They found it difficult to target Mr Modi due to the heavy security around him, so they planted bombs at the site of the Patna rally; one of them was placed barely 100 metres from the dais, NIA officials said.
Besides Ali, the NIA also arrested Mojibullah, Numan Ansari and a juvenile (whose identity was not disclosed).
At least seven people were killed and scores others injured when bombs exploded at the rally addressed by the current Prime Minister of India in Patna on October 27, 2013.