By IANS
Hyderabad : The Hyderabad police Sunday began questioning four terror suspects to trace 10 kg RDX allegedly smuggled into the city from Bangladesh, a day after 15 people were booked for the twin blasts that claimed 44 lives.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Aug 25 twin blasts was questioning Sheikh Abdul Nayeem alias Sameer and three others, currently under custody while the efforts were on to find out the whereabouts of the 11 absconding.
A massive search is on to trace the explosives while security has been further tightened at all vital installations, places of worship and public places. About 100 teams, each comprising four to five policemen, were checking vehicles at several places in the city.
Police fear the terrorists could use the explosives during the Ganesh festival beginning Sep 14 or the Muslim holy month of Ramazan beginning later this month.
Police were also questioning about a dozen suspects, picked up during last one week. The suspects include a 23-year-old Bangladeshi woman.
The SIT believes that it was Shahid alias Bilal, who masterminded the blasts at an amusement park and a popular eatery as well as the May 18 blast at the historic Mecca Masjid here.
Shahid, a native of Hyderabad and alleged operative of the Bangladesh-based Harkat-Ul-Jihad-Islami (HUJI), is also suspected to be the brain behind the suicide attack at police commissioner’s task force office here in 2005. Shahid has been absconding since 2003 blast at a temple here, which killed three people.
The cases against Shahid and others were booked after Nayeem revealed during a narco-analysis test that 10 kg of RDX was brought to the city on the orders of Shahid, who is believed to be in Bangladesh. Police say that 800 grams of this explosive was used in the mosque blast, which had killed nine people.
Nayeem told police that the RDX was smuggled in February on the direction of Shahid, who is the ‘HUJI commander’ for south India.
Police officials said Neo Gel 90, a type of ammonium nitrate, was used in the Aug 25 blasts and fear that terrorists could still use more than 9 kg of RDX.
Nayeem, who was arrested along with three other terror suspects in West Bengal after crossing over from Bangladesh in April, was allegedly involved in last year’s Mumbai train blasts. He was brought here from Maharashtra in June in connection with the mosque blast.
Polices said 15 people including three Bangladeshis were booked for waging war against the state, collecting arms for waging war and sedition and criminal conspiracy. The city police commissioner said four of the accused including Nayeem and Shoaib Jagirdar had already been already arrested.
Jagirdar, earlier arrested in connection with the mosque blast, was re-arrested two days ago after a court granted him bail in a fake passport case. A court remanded him in judicial custody for 15 days and police were planning to conduct a narco-analysis test on him.
“Mohammed Abdul Shahid alias Bilal, a native of Moosaram bagh in Hyderabad, has planned a criminal conspiracy to smuggle RDX to wage war against the state,” said a statement by the police commissioner.
“The RDX was procured and the accused planned to cause communal disturbances in Hyderabad. The RDX has been smuggled into Hyderabad in the month of February 2007 by Shaik Abdul Nayeem alias Sameer, native of Aurangabad, under the direction of Shahid.
“Nayeem is an operative indulging in cross-border terrorism and he is working under the direction of Shahid and his associates. He is also involved in Aurangabad arms and criminal conspiracy case,” said the statement.
“Sameer was assisted by Shoaib Jagirdar, native of Jalna, who arranged for accommodation and other logistics in Hyderabad during February 2007. Fifteen persons who have provided shelter, worked as couriers and participated in the criminal conspiracy have been identified and four persons have been arrested so far. There are three Bangladeshis among those identified to have participated in this conspiracy,” it said.
“Hyderabad city police is making further investigations to identify the remaining persons and also making efforts to apprehend the remaining accused,” it added.