13/7 case: ATS on hunt for 5 more suspects

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squasd, probing the 13/7 blasts case, is on hunt for five more alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives suspected to have played key role in the terror attacks, besides the group's top operative Yasin Bhatkal and two planters, police said on Sunday.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad has already arrested four IM operatives -- Naquee Ahmed, Nadeem Sheikh, Kanwar Pathrija and Haroon Naik -- for their alleged involvement in the blasts and are in judicial custody.

The state's elite agency, which has invoked stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act charges against the accused, is yet to file charge sheet in the case.

After claiming the breakthrough in January, the ATS had claimed it was looking for Bhatkal and two bomb planters Waqas and Tabrez.

Besides, these three (Bhatkal, Waqas and Tarbez), we are also looking for five more suspects including Sarfaraz and Shaikh Tahseen who appear to have participated in the attacks.

We have a reason to believe that these five were in contact with the module involved in the July 13 blasts," said a source in the ATS.

During the massive manhunt, which is still underway, the ATS teams visited many states including West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajastan, Karnataka and Andhra  Pradesh, sources said.

Throwing some more light, the sources said Tahseen, a Mumbai resident hailing from Bihar, was in the city before and on the day of the blasts but after that, his movements  could not be traced.

According to the ATS, Bhatkal, Waqas and Tarbez had rented a third floor flat in Byculla's Habib building where they assembled explosives before triggering blasts at  Dadar, Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House on July 13 last year, which claimed 27 lives.