M A I N   N E W S

2 detained for Mehrauli blast
Woman gives vital clues on bikers
Sandeep Yadav
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 28
With the death of an unidentified person this afternoon at AIIMS, the death toll in the Mehrauli blast in south Delhi has risen to three. According to hospital superintendent John Bera, the man was brought to the hospital yesterday in critical condition. Two persons, including a 13-year old boy, were killed yesterday after two persons on a motorcycle dropped a bomb in the flower market of Mehrauli.

Investigators have detained two persons for questioning in connection with a call allegedly made to the Delhi Police on Friday, warning that the Capital would witness another blast.

The two men were detained last night, a Faridabad police officer said. He said the call was traced to a cell phone belonging to a man from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.The call made from the vicinity of a phone tower in Mohan Nagar area (outskirts of Delhi), had stated “Delhi bachalo, blast hoga” (save Delhi, there will be blast). The man had allegedly purchased the SIM card from a shop in Bhikam Colony in Ballabgarh.

The police is questioning eyewitnesses, including a woman, who claimed to have had a spat with the bombers a few minutes before the blast. The woman, whose identity is being kept a secret, told the police that the bikers had almost bumped their vehicle into her. One of them faulted her with walking in the middle of the road. The woman said the duo could not speak Hindi well and did not appear well-educated.

The police has ruled out the hand of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) in the blast. “In blasts carried out by the IM in Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Delhi a fortnight ago, the explosives had the mark of ‘Indian Mujahideen’ on the bombs. No such thing has been found in the Mehrauli blast,” said a senior police official, adding that it could be the handiwork of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. The police is looking into the continuity factor as South Delhi has witnessed at least five similar low-intensity blasts in the first quarter of this year.

Architect student held for SIMI links

A report from Bangalore said a final-year architect student from Bijapur had been arrested in connection with the serial blasts in Bangalore three months ago. Mohammed Sami, during interrogation, gave vital information about the blasts. He had links with several top SIMI leaders, the police said adding that CDs on Jehadi movement and literature were seized from his house in Bijapur. Sami was remanded to judicial custody. — UNI