Mufti Abu Bashir, the alleged mastermind of the serial blasts in Ahemdabad, has admitted that he was involved in the July 26 bombings that left 55 people dead, crime branch sources said on Tuesday.

Bashir, whose arrest was announced on August 16, is currently in 14-day police custody and is being grilled by the city crime branch officials.

"So far in his interrogation, he has confessed to his involvement in the Ahmedabad [Images] blasts," the officials said.

Breakthrough in Ahmedabad blasts case

"Though Bashir is cooperating during interrogations, he is not revealing much details. He is just giving short replies to the questions asked by the officials. Most of his replies are in yes and no," they said.

He has, however, not said anything about his suspected involvement in the Jaipur [Images] and Hyderabad blasts, the officials said.

How the Ahmedabad blasts case was solved

Bashir had been a madrasa teacher in Hyderabad, where he came in contact with the hardline faction of the Students Islamic Movement of India, led by Safdar Nagori. After Nagori's arrest in March 2008 in Madhya Pradesh [Images], Bashir took up the task of carrying out the Ahmedabad blasts, police had said earlier.

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Bashir had stayed for two months in a rented house in Ahmedabad's Vatva locality, which he made his base to plan and execute the blasts, police said.

It was Bashir who had briefed other SIMI [Images] activists before the blasts. Police said these meeting were held in Bapunagar and Juhapura areas.

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After the explosions, Bashir left for his home in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh [Images]. A joint team of police in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh had nabbed him from his residence.