New Delhi, October 30
The Delhi Police Commissioner, Dr K.K. Paul, today announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone providing clues to the identity of those responsible for last evening’s serial blasts in the congested markets of the Capital even as the death toll rose to 62.
The Commissioner said the identity of the informer would be kept secret to prevent any reprisals.
More than 60 other victims of yesterday’s blasts continue to be in a serious condition in various hospitals which are witnessing heart-rending scenes as relatives try to identify the victims some of whom have been charred beyond recognition. There are women and children among the dead.
“It is obvious that the explosions are the handiwork of terrorists, but at this stage, we cannot pinpoint any particular outfit”, he said.
The Commissioner said he had requested the Ministry of Home Affairs for additional police force to deal with the situation, which he described as under control and urged the public not to panic. “Public and police cooperation is a must to check such incidents and I appeal to the people to report to the police if they find anything suspicious about any person or object.”
Almost the entire Delhi Police force was out on the streets today and their presence was particularly noticed in the markets which opened today on “Dhanteras” after being closed following the blasts. The authorities said it was business as usual in the markets and there was no panic.
The DCP (Special Cell), Mr Ajay Kumar, said investigations were at a preliminary stage and the police was carrying out searches and raids in various parts of the city and had detained a number of persons.
Sources said joint teams of the Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) raided scores of places across the capital, including Paharganj, Chandni Chowk, Zakir Nagar, Okhla, Lajpat Nagar and Nizamuddin throughout the night and picked up at least 22 persons for questioning.
Teams had also been sent out to several places in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, known to harbour sympathisers of banned terrorist groups. The intelligence agencies had also activated liaisons with intelligence agencies of some other countries which had also been tracking terrorist groups.
Investigators said while it was too early to conclude, the blasts could have been carried out by a splinter group of the banned Lashker-e-Toiba in league with the Al-Qaida. Both are known to have the expertise and the manpower to mount such operations.
Highly-placed sources in the IB and the Special Cell of the Delhi Police believe that the actual act of fabricating the bombs and placing them in the markets could have been carried out by undetected “sleeper” modules of the terrorist groups.
Sleepers are long-term agents who are normally unknown to law enforcement agencies and are activated only for specified operations to prevent identification.
Investigators also believe that the explosives used in the blasts could have been smuggled into the Capital in small quantities as larger consignments are easy to detect at entry points where vigil is maintained.
