NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW, 25 November 2007 — A day after a serial blasts rocked three cities in Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 15 people, new threats were received yesterday about another series of explosions, including an attack on the visiting Pakistani cricket team.
A television channel claimed to have received an e-mail yesterday morning, which has threatened the visiting Pakistani cricket team. The message from [email protected] asks the Pakistani team to withdraw from Test series. The e-mail also threatens blasts in various places in Chennai, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Islamabad.
The police said it has to verify the source and authenticity of the message. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said: “We will check the message once the television channel hands us over the e-mail.”
An e-mail was also received by various television channels on Friday within minutes of the first blast in Varanasi. Delhi Police have traced this e-mail to Rajdhani cyber cafe in Laxmi Nagar, East Delhi. The owner of this cafe and his employee have been taken into custody by police for questioning. While the owner was absent at the time the mail was sent, the place had four persons, three locals and one outsider.
The e-mail was sent from an account, which was created on Nov. 22. While creating the account, the sender of the e-mail did not mention his name and address, the police said.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have detained nearly 150 people, including women, in connection with their investigations regarding Friday’s blasts. Besides, the Faizabad police released the sketch of a suspect yesterday in connection with the blasts. The UP police had released sketches earlier. The sketches were prepared on basis of eyewitnesses account, including lawyers and cycle stand attendants.
The investigations carried so far suggest that blasts were triggered by a timer device and not by remote or cell phones, sources said. Locally available explosives, including ammonium nitrate were used in the blasts. Local sympathizers of terrorists, who visited courts to meet lawyers, are being scrutinized by investigators.
New cycles could be crucial clues for probe into blasts. “Special Task Force will probe the case. We cannot rule out anything and will soon give you the result,” Vikram Singh, Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police said. The UP police yesterday traced three shops from which bicycles were purchased for placing the six bombs that went off on Friday. The shops were identified in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow — the three places where serial blasts took place. Of the six cycles used in blasts, brand new ones were used in Varanasi and Faizabad, while an old one was used in Lucknow. The bomb placed on a new cycle in Lucknow failed to explode.
“We are trying to get information about the persons who purchased these bicycles. Some of the shop owners have been able to provide vital clues that prove very useful in tracking down the culprits,” senior police officer Arvind Jain said.
Though a group called Indian Mujahideen, through an e-mail, has claimed responsibility for Friday’s blasts, investigators have prima facie ruled out the role of Indian militants. The type of explosive devices used in blasts indicate that well trained terrorists are responsible, sources said. “All blasts were similar in nature... the possible use of ammonium nitrate to trigger the blast and use of electronic timer devices only proves that an old hand was involved,” sources said.
The Bangladesh-based banned organization Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islamia or HUJI is suspected to be behind the blasts.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) forced closure of shops and commercial establishments in several cities of Uttar Pradesh to protest against the terror strike in the country’s most populous state.
Following VHP supreme Ashok Singhal’s call for a statewide shutdown, activists of the outfit sporting saffron bands on their foreheads rode through the state capital here on motorbikes and compelled shopkeepers to pull down shutters.
A cracker that went off in Mughal Serai, near Varanasi, on Saturday morning led to panic, showing how nerves are frayed after Friday’s blasts.
Meanwhile, the state government has announced a hike in the monetary compensation offered to the kin of the dead and the injured. As against the government’s earlier decision to give Rs.200,000 each to the kin of those killed and Rs.50,000 to the injured, the amount was raised to Rs.500,000 and Rs.100,000 respectively. Those with minor injuries will get Rs.50,000.
The prime minister has also announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs.100,000 for the next of the kin of the dead and Rs.50,000 for the seriously injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
