Probing all angles to find if terrorists behind blasts: Patil

Mangalore Today News Network/Indiatv

Pune, Aug 2, 2012: Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil today said investigating agencies were probing all angles to determine whether any terror outfit was behind the low intensity serial bomb blasts that rocked the city last night.

 

 

“Whether it was a terrorist act or not will be determined only after proper investigations are carried out by Maharashtra ATS, city crime branch and central agencies,” Patil told reporters after visiting the four blast sites on J M Road here.

Four coordinated low-intensity explosions struck the busy arterial J M road in the heart of Pune last night.The explosions occurred at Jangli Maharaj(JM) road at spots near Balgandharva Theatre, Dena Bank branch, a McDonald food outlet and Garware Bridge.

Asked whether there could be a “saffron terror” angle to the incident, he said, “All angles are being probed and it will not be proper to comment at this stage.”

He said the person injured in one of the blasts—near Bal Gandharva theatre—was being treated for minor injuries. 

The injured person—Dayanand Patil, who hails from a nearby village of Uruli Kanchan, had reportedly visited the spot opposite the Balgandharva Theatre, where a ‘dharna’ agitation by India Against Corruption (IAC) was in progress. 

After he left the place, the explosive, which had apparently been put in his carry bag, exploded on the way, police sources said.

Unconfirmed reports said ammonium nitrate could have been the substance used in the blast triggered by small detonators and pencil cells.

Police have also issued an advisory to IAC activists to wind up the dharna pandal for security reasons. 

Life in the city returned to normal late night as the blasts did not cause any large scale damage.  Police have appealed to people to ignore rumours and carry on daily routine without fear.

 

New Hero bicycles used for carrying out Pune blasts

Pune/Mumbai, Aug 2, 2012 : Newly appointed Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has called a high level meeting in wake of the serial blasts that rocked Pune on Wednesday  night spanning over a period of  45 mins  and 500 km radius, the police on Thursday registered an FIR in the case against unknown.

Union home secretary RK Singh said forensic experts were examining the two unexploded IEDs and nature of the four blasts. “A well Cordinated Act. A mastermind was at work” he states. Singh said teams of National Investigation Agency, National Security Guards and Central Forensic Science Laboratory reached Pune early this morning and were examining the explosives. Investigators examined two IEDs which had not exploded. and three detonators in each and other peculiarity. Continuous updation is been done he added. Asked whether there could be a "saffron terror" angle to the incident, he said, "All angles are being probed and it will not be proper to comment at this stage. Life in the city returned to normalcy as the blasts did not cause any large scale damage.
 
Ammonium nitrate traces Tracked :

Two red bicycles found at two of the blast sites are being looked at as important evidence. Batteries and ball bearings were found in polythene on one of the cycles (a  sophisticated circuitry).These are believed to  increase the impact of a blast, though, says the police, in this case the trigger mechanism was not strong and so the explosion caused was of low intensity. Hunt in on to track who bought the bicycles and placed it there.

Two new Hero Racer bicycles(Hero street racer cycle and Nitro Integra) including a  small girl’s cycle were used by persons who carried out the serial blasts in Pune on Wednesday evening belonging to the same company  and were probably purchased from a local Hero cycle seller here.

One explosive was kept inside a plastic bag  near the Kotak Mahindra Bank branch in front of Rani Laxmibai statue.

The lone person who was injured in the blast, Dayanand Patil( a local Tailor ) believed to be the prime suspect but later relieved on a clean chit, pulled out the plastic bag containing the explosive, and while crossing the road, the bomb exploded injuring him.

ATS and National Investigation Agency officials are baffled about the motive behind the blasts.One official said, it could be part of a dry run for similar serial blasts to be carried out near Vikhroli in Mumbai and  other cities, with Janmashtami and Ganesh Puja on the anvil.

New Delhi: Delhi was put on heightened vigil on Wednesday night with deployment of armed police personnel across the city after five bomb blasts took place in Pune.Roads were barricaded and vehicles checked while security was strengthened at places like the Parliament, India Gate and other key buildings including the Roads near Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s official residence.
Security got stringent at Jantar Mantar where Anna Hazare and his team are on an indefinite fast following the explosions in Pune. A bomb disposal squad conducted searches at the protest venue and more than 100 police were deployed at the venue at late hours a senior police official said.

Gandhinagar: A day after four coordinated blasts rocked Pune, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has called for a zero tolerance policy towards tackling terrorism.

"It’s time we should have stringent anti-terrorism policy otherwise such incidents will keep on happening," Mr Modi said in Gandhinagar today.Police sources say a black, sticky substance has been found at the site of the Balgandharva auditorium blast. While a preliminary forensic assessment indicates use of ammonium nitrate, the sticky substance is now being studied by the forensic lab to ascertain what it is. The composition of the bomb is said to indicate which group could be behind an explosion. Apart from Maharashtra Police, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) and National Security Guards (NSG) teams are also inspecting the blast sites.