BOMBAY, 4 August 2006 — The police commissioner of Bombay, Anami Roy, has announced a cash reward of two-and-a-half million Indian rupees and a promotion to any police officer that can provide a lead to catching the terrorists behind the Bombay blasts.
The state home department also made a similar announcement recently saying they would reward members of the public who could provide information in arresting the terrorists behind the train blasts.
According to commentators, the move is a desperate last-ditch attempt to bring results in the ongoing investigation. It seems that the claims made so far by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) that they have made a breakthrough and arrested those involved in the blasts appear to be a mere publicity stunt to quell public anger.
Speaking to Arab News on condition of anonymity, police officials have admitted their failure and say that the arrest of some former activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) will not lead to finding the real culprits behind the bombings.
Police officials have rather blamed Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R.R. Patil saying, “the police would have made a breakthrough and arrested the alleged terrorists in no time if it wasn’t for Patil, who unwisely went on to reshuffle large number of experienced and intelligent police officers of the crime branch, and also IPS officers.”
Commenting on the reward that is on offer one police officer said, “let the government first dispense the earlier reward, before asking the police to work for the new reward.”
The police officer was referring to outstanding rewards to be awarded to ATS officers who seized large quantities of RDX explosives after the 1993 serial explosions that took place in Bombay.
Meanwhile, police officials investigating the train blasts said that they were facing difficulties in gaining information from the ten men that have been arrested, who were described as “tough nuts to crack.”
Officers said, “however, we are not in a hurry and it will take sometime to make them speak. At the time of interrogation, the accused take recourse for prayers, showing that they are very motivated and have been thoroughly indoctrinated.”
In another development, Manmad police in the Nashik district arrested an alleged Pakistani spy working for the Inter-Services Intelligence(ISI). Arif Lakhani, aged 25, was arrested while boarding the Goa-Nizamuddin Express train to Delhi at Manmad railway station.
Lakhani’s arrest followed a tip-off from the Indian Army’s Southern Command intelligence officers based in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state. Lakhani appeared before a magistrate who remanded him in police custody till Aug. 15.
Police said that Lakhani was under close surveillance for a year and arrested him with a sizable quantity of sensitive military documents and a compact disc containing pictures of the armored training center in Ahmednagar and other places in Maharashtra. Documents included details of the Indian army’s training camps and weapons.
According to police, Lakhani and his other brother, who is presently on the run, are residents of Shrirampur in Ahmednagar. Both the brothers’ wives are Pakistani national, and are alleged to have established contacts with military establishments in Ahmednagar and other places and were known to have provided sensitive military information to their Pakistani handler in New Delhi.
