Ajmer bombing mastermind may be in Gujarat: Police

JAIPUR - An Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Rajasthan Police has been sent to Gujarat to track down the mastermind of the 2007 Ajmer Dargah Sharif bombing, police sources said here Sunday.

According to ATS sources, interrogation of Devendra Gupta, the first suspect to be arrested for the blast, revealed that the mastermind was based in Gujarat.

“After interrogating Devendra Gupta, we have strong reasons to believe that the mastermind of the blast lives in Gujarat. Gupta has revealed his name too,” an ATS official said.

Three people were killed and 30 injured when a bomb exploded Oct 11, 2007, on the premises of the Dargah of Sufi Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.

The ATS Saturday filed an application before the chief judicial magistrate of Ajmer, requesting permission to conduct a narco-test on Gupta, who has links with a right-wing Hindu group.

Gupta, who lived in Jharkhand, was arrested Wednesday from Ajmer, about 390 km from New Delhi, while he was visiting his ailing mother. On Friday, the chief judicial magistrate in Ajmer remanded him in 12 days police custody, an ATS official said.

The ATS official said that Gupta’s interrogation had provided fresh leads in the case.

“A few more people are on our suspect list. You may see more arrests in the coming days. Our investigations are expected to lead us to other states too,” he said.

Close on the heels of Gupta’s arrest, the ATS held another suspect late Friday. Chandrashekhar, a member of a Hindu rightwing group, was arrested from Shahjahanpur in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

A third man suspected to be involved in the bombing was detained late Saturday, again from Shajahanpur, and brought to Jaipur for questioning.

Vishnu Prasad is said to be a close aide of Chandrashekhar and was held for his alleged role in procuring mobile phones and SIM cards used in the terror strikes, police sources said.

Officials said police were able to trace the accused with the help of SIM cards recovered from the blast site. Gupta had allegedly purchased the SIM cards for the mobile handset that triggered the blast.