By IANS
Hyderabad : Stepping up investigations into Saturday’s twin blasts that claimed 43 lives, the city police raided the well-known Darul Uloom madarsa here to look for a suspect.
Hours after releasing the sketch of a suspected bomb planter at Lumbini Park, a police team conducted a search late Wednesday night at the seminary located at Shivrampalli, run by eminent religious scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Auqil Hussami.
Interestingly, Auqil Hussami is the convenor of the Muslim United Front, comprising various Muslim groups including Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, considered an ally of the ruling Congress.
Auqil Hussami’s son-in-law and a secretary of the madarsa, Raheemuddin Ansari, is chairman of Urdu Academy, a government-run body. Darul Uloom is one of the oldest and biggest madarsas in India.
The police team checked the madarsa records and wanted to know from the teachers and staff if any Pakistani or Bangladeshi was studying there. The teachers said the police officials were enquiring about a suspect, Mujeebur Rehman.
When they were told that there was nobody by that name studying at the madarsa, they wanted all students to be produced before them.
Ansari, who rushed to the madarsa, protested at the attitude of policemen and asked them to come in the morning. When the police team insisted, some students were produced before them. Only 35 of the 400 students were present at the time as a majority had gone home on account of the religious festival Shab-e-barat.
Police are also trying to find out if any Pakistani or Bangladeshi was studying at any other madarsa in Hyderabad or any other town in Andhra Pradesh.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the blasts Wednesday released a sketch of a suspect made on the basis of a description provided by a witness, who escaped with injuries in the explosion at Lumbini Park.
Police believe that Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI) is behind the blasts. They are also probing the role of Pakistan-based terror groups.
The SIT is questioning a few Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals staying in the city though their visas have expired and also few local youths suspected to have links with terror groups. However, police were yet to announce any arrests in the case.
Meanwhile, dozens of police teams are looking for RDX believed to be hidden in the city. Only 800 grams of 15 kg of RDX reportedly smuggled into the city was used in the Mecca Masjid blast on May 18. The remaining RDX is yet to be traced and after Saturday’s blasts, police have intensified efforts to find the remaining explosive.
Neo Gel 90, a form of ammonium nitrate, was used in Saturday’s twin blasts but fearing that terrorists might use the remaining RDX, the police teams have intensified their search.
Sameer alias Nayeem, an alleged operative of Lashkar-e-Toiba who was brought from Maharashtra after the mosque blast, had reportedly told police that 15 kg of RDX was smuggled into the country.
Police officials said there was no specific information as to how much RDX was actually brought into the city.
About 100 teams formed by the police commissioner two days ago have intensified checking of vehicles, lodges and other public places. They are asking people at hotels and parks to remain alert and report any suspicious-looking person.