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The Hyderabad police blame their counterparts in Delhi for not sharing information about a recce of Dilksukhnagar conducted by Indian Mujahideen’s Sayed Maqbool. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Who had information on the recce of the blast sites in Hyderabad? That’s the big question being raised as investigations proceed in the attacks at Dilksukhnagar, which claimed 16 lives on Thursday.
According to sources in the special cell of the Hyderabad police, the Delhi police had the information first, which was in turn was passed on to the Maharashtra police. This helped them crack the 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts case and last August’s Pune bombings.
The first of the arrests, which helped bust the renewed Indian Mujahideen modules, was carried out by the Delhi police. IM operative Imran Khan was picked up from Nanded, Langde Sayed Firoze from Pune, Asad Khan from Aurangabad and Irfan Mustafa of Ahmednagar. These arrests gave investigators a lead on the terror outfit’s Darbhanga module in Bihar.
After interrogating the four operatives, the Delhi police tracked down Sayed Maqbool, who is suspected to have surveyed the Dilsukhnagar area. They also provided leads, which suggested that three IM men -- Yasin Bhatkal, Waqas and Tabrez were involved in the 13/7 blasts.
Based on the charges leveled by the Delhi police, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad took up the case and claimed that both the 13/7 blasts and the Pune attacks were inter-linked.
The interrogation report prepared by the Delhi police after questioning Maqbool is easily accessible. His confessions are part of the Pune blast investigation and were reported by media outlets in November 2012.
Maqbool’s questioning was specific and gave the investigators leads about the Hyderabad plan. He had said that along with Imran he had conducted a recce of Dilsuknagar, Abids and Begum Bazaar in Hyderabad.
It is now being debated whether the Delhi police had shared this information with their counterparts in Hyderabad.
An officer from Hyderabad said, “This information was never shared with us by the Delhi police. We cannot go by media reports and if there was a specific mention of Hyderabad, it ought to have to been communicated to us officially.”
The Delhi police, however, maintained that the tip-offs were passed on. An officer said that information was given promptly to the Maharashtra police and they in turn even released pictures of Waqas and Tabrez, who are being considered as suspects in the Hyderabad blasts.
The Delhi police, however, point out that Maqbool is the bigger suspect, as he had vital information about the Hyderabad terror operation.
According to Delhi police officials, the local police and special cell (Hyderabad) had information about Maqbool. They should have followed up the case as soon as he was arrested and sough more details.
This information had also been passed on to the Intelligence Bureau, which had issued alerts to many police stations including Hyderabad, they claim.