M A I N   N E W S

Lashkar behind Delhi blasts, says police chief
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13
The Delhi police today claimed to have achieved a major breakthrough in the October 29 serial blasts with the arrest of a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant in Srinagar.

Delhi Police Commissioner K. K. Paul said this at a crowded press conference here.

The accused, identified as Tariq Ahmed Dar (32), had visited Delhi in first week of October when the conspiracy was hatched. Few days before the explosion, a sum of Rs 5 lakh was debited from the HDFC bank account of Tariq in Srinagar from overseas, he said.

“So far, we have been able to find the names of Abu-al Qama and Abu Huzafa (both of LeT), to be involved in the conspiracy,” he said. Dr Paul said the money in Tariq’s account had come from some country in the Middle East.

He said the explosive material used in the blasts was RDX though not in its pure form. Dr Paul said that the Lashkar’s Srinagar chief and Jammu and Kashmir chief were involved in the serial blasts that killed more than 60 persons.

Dr Paul said so far the investigating agencies had proofs that the blast was the handiwork of only LeT. Among the conspirators, two were residents of Jammu and Kashmir while others were foreigners.

The accused, Tariq, who works as a sales representative in Johnson and Johnson company, was arrested on earlier occasions in connection with Hawala dealings and under the Arms Act. He had visited the national Capital between October 4 and 6 after which he had returned to Srinagar to hatch the conspiracy. “We are piecing the evidence together and we are sure to come out with more information soon,” Dr Paul said

The Police Commissioner said that the militants behind the conspiracy had been identified and would be brought to book soon. Dr Paul said the militants had chosen to trigger blasts this time so as to have the maximum impact.

After the blasts, a call was made to a news agency that LeT was not involved in the blasts, Dr Paul said adding it was suspected that it was Tariq who made that phone call. Tariq was working as a conspirator, financier, front man and spokesman for the LeT, he said. He also appealed to people to be vigilant but urged them from making any hoax calls as it drained the “resources of the police force.”