NEW DELHI: Indian police yesterday claimed a major breakthrough in their investigation into serial blasts in the capital city earlier this month with the arrest of two people.

Mohammed Saif was arrested during a fierce shootout in a south Delhi area on Friday, during which a police officer and two suspected terrorists were killed, Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner Alok Kumar said.

Zeeshan was arrested from the crowded Jhandewalan area of the capital Friday night. “Zeeshan was arrested from Jhandewalan on a secret tip-off,” Kumar said. Police officials said they were now looking for 10-12 more people allegedly involved in the Delhi blasts. Zeeshan, who goes by only one name, was arrested from the premises of a television news channel where he had gone to give an interview.

A senior Delhi police official said the two men, both in their early 20s, had confessed to planting the bombs in busy markets in Delhi on Sept. 13 that left 24 dead and scores injured.

According to Saif’s confession, Bashir alias Atif, who was killed in an apartment in Jamia Nagar area of Delhi in Friday’s shootout, was in charge of manufacturing bombs and executing the blasts, IANS news agency quoted police sources as saying.

Besides Atif, a man named Sajid, was also killed in the encounter which also claimed the life of one of Delhi’s most-decorated police officers, Inspector M.C. Sharma. A head constable, Balwinder Singh, was injured in the operation, but was recovering in hospital.

A police official said none of the suspects had criminal records and several of them were well educated. According to Saif’s confession, Atif and the others were members of the Indian Mujahedeen group which has claimed responsibility for the blasts in Delhi as well as those in Ahmedabad on July 26 and Jaipur on May 13, IANS reported quoting police sources.

Both Atif and Saif are from the small town of Sarai Mir in Azamgarh district of northern Uttar Pradesh state. Saif’s father, Shadab Ahmed, a local politician in Azamgarh, said his son was studying computers and English in Delhi.

“They should investigate the case. My son should not be framed. If he is guilty, shoot him,” Ahmed said in an interview with NDTV television channel.

Atif’s father Mohammed Amin, a small-time trader, said his 22-year-old son had no link with terrorists. “This is a brutal act by Delhi police,” he said demanding an independent investigation. Several mobile phones and shoulder bags have been recovered from the apartment at Jamia Nagar and investigations were on, police said.

Police are now on the lookout for the two terrorists who escaped during the shootout — Shehzaad and Junaid. According to Saif’s revelations to police, Shehzaad is the one who planted the bomb at India Gate, which was defused, while Junaid had gone along with Atif when he went to plant the bomb at Greater Kailash I’s M-Block market.

Saif who was studying computer science at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in south Delhi when he allegedly got involved with the Indian Mujahedeen.