Yasin admits to role in stadium blasts: Police

Mohammed Ahmed Sidibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal, the suspected co-founder of Indian Mujahideen, has “confessed” to complicity in the twin blasts outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 17, 2010, a senior officer of Bangalore police claimed on Tuesday.

Bhatkal is being interrogated at an undisclosed place here after a Delhi court on January 17 remanded him in the custody of Bangalore police. Tight security has been provided at the place round the clock. A special team, consisting of investigation officers of all terror cases reported in the State, is grilling him.

The custodial confession is, however, not admissible in court and investigators need independent corroborative evidence to nail him, the officer conceded.

Police say they have already obtained a DNA match between the strands of hair, recovered from one of the unexploded bombs found outside the stadium after the twin blasts, and Qateel Siddiqui, the prime accused in the case who was later murdered in a Pune jail. A similar DNA match for Yasin Bhatkal would be pursued, the officer added.

Meanwhile, police would take the terror suspect to the stadium as well as locations in Tumkur, Koppa (Chikmagalur district), Mangalore, Bhatkal and other places in the State. The schedule of the visits, however, would not be made public lest crowds of people and media land there, posing a security threat, the officer added.

Another officer asserted that Bhatkal had “indeed revealed” certain information hitherto unknown to the State police and the “confessions” were being verified. The new leads may help in uncovering the terror network in Karnataka, he added.
Raghavendra Auradkar, Commissioner of Bangalore Police, said the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts had serious consequences for national security, and disclosing details of Bhatkal’s interrogation would “hamper” the investigation.

A senior officer denied reports in a section of the media that a snake had sneaked into the cell where Bhatkal had been confined. He said the media should not carry such “speculative” reports.

The City police may seek further custody of the terror suspect once it ends on January 28.