Pune serial blasts: Bomb snags saved the town, IM suspected

NEW DELHI: The coordinated manner in which the explosions were carried out in Pune has led central agencies to label them as an act of terror. The needle of suspicion points to the Indian Mujahideen, which has a well-entrenched network in Pune and had successfully executed the German Bakery blasts there in February 2010.

Intelligence agencies are examining whether the bombs, said to be of a sophisticated make, complete with a timer mechanism, had mal-functioned, averting damage to life and property.

According to PTI, a police source in Pune said a wrist watch was used as timer to complete the bomb circuit to trigger the detonators kept on three newly-bought bicycles, two dustbins and a polythene bag. This was similar to the technique adopted by IM, which has links with terror groups in Pakistan.

Joint Commissioner of Pune City Police Sanjiv Singhal said 33-year-old Dayanand Patil, the lone person injured in the blast near Bal Gandharva theatre, was being interrogated. He also said there has been no arrest or detention so far. Patil's wife Satyakala and some bicycle shop owners in the city's Kasaba peth area were also questioned as part of the investigation. Police said Patil was not being treated as a suspect as of now but was being questioned by police as to how the explosives found its way into his carry bag.

As investigators pieced together evidence, the sources said ammonium nitrate was apparently used to make explosives with Neogel as a binding agent. Four serial explosions in the space of less than one hour rocked a single area in the crowded Jangli Maharaj road last night. One explosive was partially detonated while another was defused.

In New Delhi, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, after a high-level meeting which reviewed the security situation in the country, said the Centre has taken the explosions very seriously.

The Maharashtra police have launched a massive hunt for suspects and clues to identify the outfit and motive behind the blasts. Investigative agencies searched for clues from the CCTV cameras installed at Dena Bank, McDonald's and Bal Gandharva traffic square, near where the explosions occurred, but this has yielded little. Some of these cameras were non-functional, a source in an intelligence agency told ET.

The investigators are also looking for a possible link with the murder of IM suspect Mohammad Qateel Siddiqui in June at Pune's Yerwada prison by fellow inmates. Qateel was strangulated by gangster Sharad Mohol and his aide Alok Bhalerao in the high-security Central jail. The case is being handles by the Maharashtra CID.

Union home secretary RK Singh confirmed that the Pune blasts were a terror act and a serious incident, notwithstanding the minimal impact. The nature of the bomb, said to be an improvised explosive device packed with ammonium nitrate and pencil timers, points to the involvement of a local jehadi outfit, said the source in the intelligence agency. The unexploded bomb was found to have a 9 volt battery.

Singh said there were some important leads in the blasts probe, but did not divulge details. The police have registered an offence against unknown persons under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 427 (mischief causing damage), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and relevant sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Explosive Substances Act.

The home ministry has ruled out any immediate plans to hand over the blasts investigation to the National Investigation Agency.