Hyderabad blasts: 60 hours of CCTV footage crucial to case

The 60 hours of CCTV footage obtained by the special cell of the Hyderabad police will be crucial in cracking the twin blasts case. The police have managed to get access to footage from four cameras installed near the Dilsusknagar blast site.

The clearest images have been procured from a private camera installed on top of a house in the area. The footage shows two people plating bombs on Thursday evening, said sources from the Hyderabad police.

Also read: CCTV shows 2 planting bombs near blast site: Sources

Also, the police are studying footage from the camera at the nearby Sai Baba temple, which was first on the target list of terrorists. However, these images are hazy.

The footage from the other two cameras may not be of much use to investigators. They primarily have captured the commotion caused by the blasts and only 10 minutes of it. There was power outage following the attack after which these two cameras went blank.

“It is more important that we study the footage that was captured from 6 pm on Thursday evening. Around this time the bombers entered the scene. It appears that they were trying to plant the bomb at the Sai Temple at first, but changed their plan immediately after they found heavy police presence there due to the police commissioner’s visit,”

said an officer investigating the case.

The police have also sought footage from the camera that was installed at a gaming parlour near the blast site. “This could also give us a clear image of what transpired that evening. We are also examining the cameras that were installed in the area by the traffic police,” he added.

Meanwhile the police have questioned at least 20 persons in connection with the blasts. Abdul Mirza, who was injured in the Hyderabad and the Mecca Masjid blasts, was also grilled by the police. “We are not treating anyone as suspects, but are only trying to gather information,” an officer said.

The Maharashtra and Karanataka police are in Hyderabad to assist with the probe. According to the Maharashtra police, the blasts in Hyderabad, in Pune last August and the 13/7 Mumbai bombings have been carried out by the same module.     

The Karnataka police is providing leads that they picked up from the investigations into the Chinnaswamy blast case, which also has the stamp of the Indian Mujahideen headed by Yasin Bhatkal. The police from Karnataka, which have sent two teams to Hyderabad, said that Bhatkal is still in India and has not fled.