Investigators make inroads into blasts case

Investigating agencies have identified the hotel room from where perpetrators of the Dilsukhnagar blasts triggered improvised explosive devices. Based on CCTV footage from a hotel overseeing the blast site, police are trying to identify certain individuals who had booked rooms under fictitious names.

Investigators found crucial evidences from the Shilpi Lodge, where two rooms (302 and 303) were booked around 14 days before the blasts. The rooms were booked by a person who had identified himself as Subhani for a person named Vijay.

Vijay stayed in one of the rooms. The other room remained vacant for a while.
On February 15, two persons named Ali Khan and Sajid occupied room number 303, but vacated it the very next day without informing the hotel management. The investigators have found that the names and addresses furnished to book the rooms were fake.

On February 21, another person who identified himself as Raju, occupied room number 303. He had claimed to be a resident of Miryalaguda and furnished his voter card as identity proof. On the day of the blasts, Raju left the room at 4 pm and returned minutes after the explosions. The hotel staff  confirmed that even Raju vacated the room without informing the management around 8 pm, one hour after the blasts.

The Maharashtra anti-terrorist squad has told the Andhra Pradesh police that Raju had close connections with Indian Mujahideen chief Yasin Bhatkal. Previously, they were Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists. “We believe that terrorist Raju Bhayya stayed at the Shilpi Lodge and organised the whole operation. A team from Maharashtra has identified Raju,” sources said.  

Meanwhile, the police have learnt that both Atlas and Great Champion cycles used in the blasts were hired locally. The police have spotted two persons who were riding these cycles in a 20-minute footage from a CCTV camera at a traffic signal near the blasts site.
While one person rode an old cycle around 6:30 pm, another suspect was found walking into a lane beside the Konark theatre.

MIM chief cautions against prejudice

Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has demanded a quick and fair probe into Thursday’s twin blasts and blamed the police and security forces for not taking effective counter-terrorist measures , DHNS reports.

The MIM has always been a suspect in communal riots and terrorist attacks in Hyderabad. However, unreasonable police action against Muslim youth had boomeranged in 2007, embarrassing the authorities. Condemning the blasts, Owaisi said: “There is no justification for killing innocent people. Such misconceptions are dangerous to humanity.”