Based on intelligence reports, the Uttar Pradesh police now believe that the masterminds of the Varanasi blast may be Asadullah Akhthar and Dr Shahnawaz. The Bhatkal brothers -- Riyaz and Iqbal -- are also suspected to have helped plan the blast, said sources.According to sources in the Intelligence Bureau, all four suspects are hiding in Sharjah, where the terror attack had been planned.
Besides Bhatkal, the others convicted were Asadullah Akthar of Uttar Pradesh, Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas of Pakistan, Tahseen Akhthar of Bihar and Aizaz Shaik of Maharashtra. All of them are in judicial custody.
Pronouncing the sentence, Judge T Srinivasa Rao described the case as the "rarest of the rare".
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