Varanasi:
The terror email claiming responsibility for the blast in Varanasi on Tuesday has been traced to the Wi-Fi connection of Akhil Talreja, a Disc Jockey (DJ) in Mumbai.
(Watch: Blast caught on camera) |
(See: Varanasi blast pics)Talreja however told NDTV that he is innocent and his Wi-Fi network has been hacked. He also said everyone should have a password for their account.
The email was sent from an ID that belongs to a little known group called Al-Fateh, possibly a front used by the Indian Mujahideen (IM) to mislead investigators.
A baby girl was killed and at least 25 people were injured in the blast at Sheetla Ghat in Varanasi on Tuesday. A railing collapsed in a stampede that followed the blast, contributing to the injuries. The explosion at Sheetla Ghat, near the main ghat where daily aarti or prayers are offered, took place at about 6:25 pm in the evening just as the aarti ended. Thousands of devotees and tourists had assembled at the ghat for the Ganga aarti.
(Read: Varanasi blast: 1 killed, 25 injured) |
(Watch)Mumbai police questioned two people in connection with the blast on Tuesday night, but no arrests have been made so far. A team of forensic experts collected samples from the blast site and found traces of ammonium nitrate. Sources say the explosive indicates a possible Indian Mujahideen involvement in the blast. It is still, however, not clear whether the device used was sophisticated or a crude one. The Home Ministry has said it was a low to medium intensity blast, which explains the low number of casualties.
Home Minister P Chidambaram visited the blast site today. The Union Home Ministry has sounded a nationwide alert with special stress on four major cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad - in wake of the blast.
(Read: High alert across India after blast)Police in Uttar Pradesh have begun patrolling communally sensitive towns and cities in the state. Karamvir Singh, the state's Director General of Police, visited the blast site late on Tuesday night. He said preliminary investigation suggests the explosive was kept in the wall between two ghats and added that the police is taking the Indian Mujahideen email seriously and following up all leads.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati also visited the blast site on Tuesday. "We will request the Centre to provide us with Special Force to tackle such incidents in the future and ensure that such incidents don't take place. We will request the Centre to provide us with similar security arrangements made after 26/11 in Mumbai," she said.
In the last two years, a number of emails from terrorists have been traced to Mumbai:
EARLIER EMAILS TRACED TO MUMBAI
• Sep 2010: Indian Mujahideen e-mail claiming responsibility for Jama Masjid firing
• Sep 2008: IM e-mail claiming responsibility for Delhi bombings traced to Chembur
• Aug 2008: IM e-mail, mocking probe into Ahmedabad serial blasts, traced to Khalsa College in Matunga
• July 2008: E-mail sent minutes before Ahmedabad blasts traced to US citizen's flat in Navi Mumbai