Leads hint at role of State sleeper cells in Chennai blasts

The CB-CID police, investigating the twin blasts on a train here that killed a woman, have obtained leads hinting at the role of terror sleeping cells in Karnataka in the incident.

The interrogation of two suspects in Bangalore by a CB-CID team, with the support of central intelligence agencies and Karnataka police, has led to leads about the supportive role played by some sleeper cells in Karnataka, said an official source.

The official said the investigation, which was currently in full swing in other cities, including Patna, would “fill the gap” in the investigation.

The CB-CID is currently working at multiple levels to crack the twin low-intensity blasts on the Bangalore-Guwahati Express, which claimed the lives of a 24-year-old woman and injured 14 people on May 1.

Suspicions

In addition to identifying a suspicious middle-aged person who ran away from the train after it arrived in Chennai, the police have found that two persons had booked tickets using fake identities.

Teams of the CB-CID have been investigating in various cities, including Bangalore, Guwahati and Patna. Screening of voluminous CCTV footage and studying the call data record of mobile phones at strategic locations are also under way, said police.

Meanwhile, the ‘Q’ branch police, which is playing a supportive role in the investigation of the case, took the custody of Mohammad Zahir Hussain, a suspected ISI agent, who was arrested recently here, for questioning.