Police pick up crucial leads

Police pick up crucial leads
DH News Service, Bangalore:
The City police made headway in the probe into the serial bomb blasts that rocked the City on Friday last and have secured more than 40 persons for questioning.

Investigating officials have garnered vital information during the interrogations.

Sources in the State intelligence said that most of the persons taken into custody are residents from Gurappanapalya and neighbourhood. The police believe that the accused could not have carried out the blasts without local help.

However, the sources said that blasts rocking Ahmedabad a day after Bangalore might just be a coincidence. There are certain differences between the blasts in the two cities, the sources added.

The investigation process would arrive at a definite conclusion in a couple of days based on the material found at the blast sites and details disclosed by those picked up for questioning. Senior officials refused to divulge further details stating that disclosure of any vital information might hamper the investigation process. But they stressed that the police have managed to collect some vital clues and the accused would be nabbed very soon.

The police, in the meantime, have intensified search operations. Nakabandis have been put up at all sensitive and highly sensitive places and at all entry points to and checkposts in the State. Plainclothesmen are on look-out for persons with dubious credentials.

Sketch soon
DG office sources said that the police are likely to release sketches of the youth who allegedly planted a bomb near The Forum mall here, besides that of the other accused persons very soon. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) completed testing the material recovered from the blast sites. Laboratory officials are learnt to have submitted a preliminary report to the government. Sources said the investigating teams have managed to collect some clues suggesting that the bombs were manufactured at Channapatna.

Ten teams including those of the Bangalore City police, crime branch and Bangalore Rural police, are investigating the serial blasts. A special team from Hyderabad arrived in the City to inspect the blast sites, the police said.
Unconfirmed reports said that two Channapatna policemen have been suspended for dereliction for duty in connection with July 24 blast in the town.

A team of National Security Guard (NSG) visited Channapatna in Ramanagar district on Monday and inspected the site where a crude bomb exploded on July 24.

The visit assumes significance in the backdrop of the likelihood of those involved in the Bangalore blasts having conducted a dry run in Channapatna. Meanwhile, Home Minister VS Acharya said in the Legislative Assembly on Monday that there were no specific Central intelligence advisory or alerts on the Bangalore blasts. “What we received were routine advisories after the blasts in Jaipur in May,” Acharya said much to the chagrin of the Congress members who alleged that the State government had ignored the Centre’s warning note.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, however, said divulging the details of investigation at this stage would hamper the process.