In what is being suspected to be a terror attack, one home guard was killed and a head constbale was seriously injured when unknown motor cycle borne-assailants opened fire at a police picket in the old city area of Hyderabad.
As the Central Bureau of Investigation continues to join the dots on the Ajmer, Pune Goa and Mecca Masjid blasts cases, the probe so far has revealed that a very strong local network of Hindu right-wing groups in Hyderabad and Pune may have carried out these attacks.
Human Rights Watch has slammed the Andhra Pradesh government for the detention and torture of over 100 youths from the Muslim community, who were arrested after a spate of terror attacks in Hyderabad last year.On November 13, the Andhra Pradesh government finally admitted that the innocent youths had been tortured and announced compensation of Rs 30,000 for each of them. It also promised additional financial assistance through government loans.
Andhra Pradesh police officials including members of elite anti terrorist force OCTOPUS will soon go to Mumbai to question Sadhvi Pragya Singh, Shrikant Purohit and other suspects who were arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast.
"They (mosque authorities) have sent a letter to us expressing readiness to withdraw the complaint against her. But we sought certain clarifications from them," said B Reddenna, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Charminar division. He, however, declined to divulge the clarifications sought by the police.
Several theories but no evidence yet. This is the status of the investigations into the twin blasts at Hyderabad exactly a year back. When the twin blasts rocked Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat in Hyderabad, it was largely believed that the investigations would be taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigations, which was already looking into the Mecca Masjid blasts. However that did not happen.
The ISI had claimed Bilal was shot in an encounter following the twin blasts in Hyderabad. The IB says that of late the ISI has been using this ploy to mislead investigating agencies in India. Every time the pressure on Pakistan builds up to hand over a terrorist whom they are shielding, they come up with such stories.
Dismissing India's contention that ISI could be involved in the recent blasts in various cities, Pakistan on that such allegations could vitiate the atmosphere for the ongoing Composite Dialogue process. "Pakistan rejects the allegations leveled by the National Security Adviser of India, M K Narayanan, about the suspected involvement of ISI in Ludhiana, Ajmer and Mecca Masjid blasts," Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Sadiq said in Islamabad on Thursday.
Both the arrested had hideouts in Hyderabad to prepare powerful bombs and provide shelter to the plotters.
All I have to say is that the narco-analysis reports came in very late and by the time we started to look into it, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. We however got to know that those involved in the Nanded blast were also part of the Parbhani blasts case, says K P S Raghuvanshi, former chief of the Mumbai Anti Terrorism Squad
Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks for the Governor's address in the state legislative assembly, Dr Reddy said, "The incidents of bomb blasts at Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat Eatery in Hyderabad were related to cross-border terrorism. Many innocent lives were lost in these incidents." "Al Qaeda, by clubbing the United States, Israel and India together unnecessarily, is targeting our country without any rhyme or reason," he said.
Police teams from Hyderabad and Mumbai are in Lucknow to interrogate the two HUJI militants, arrested in Barabanki in connection with serial blasts in the civil courts in Uttar Pradesh, for their possible involvement in the Mecca Masjid blasts in Andhra Pradesh.
Police registered a case of trespass against Sania Mirza for filming for an advert in the premises of a mosque.
Sheikh Nayeem, one of the men assigned the role of transporting men into India from across the border, was picked up by the West Bengal police four months prior to the Mecca Masjid blasts. The investigations into the blasts revealed that Nayeem had helped four men enter India through Bangladesh to carry out the blasts. Nayeem, who underwent a narco analysis test at Bengaluru recently confirmed that he had transported the men in May 2007.
In fact news of his death started trickling in a few days after the twin blasts in Hyderabad. But the Intelligence Bureau said that it was a ploy by their counterparts in Pakistan to mislead investigations. While Bilal's death is more or less confirmed now, Indian intelligence agencies feel he was killed due to professional rivalry.
The conspiracy was hatched by Shahid and his friend Khaja, both residents of Moosarambagh here, police sources said quoting a confessional statement.
The SIC maintains that though the duo may not be directly involved in the blasts, they may have important information about the people who were responsible for the blasts.
The father of suspec ted terror mastermind Shahid alias Bilal in an exclusive interview.
Nine people lost their lives. The aftermath too was chaotic with cops opening fire to quell a mob and in the bargain five people lost their lives.
The Hyderabad police, which is under fire over the alleged torturing of a youth picked up after last year's Mecca Masjid blast, has once again evoked the ire of the Muslim community by allegedly threatening one of the acquitted persons not to go public with the details of torture.
"We will decide on appointment of security guards, training of volunteers, increasing the height of the compound wall and setting up metal detectors after holding discussions with religious leaders and police officers.
Shoaib Jagirdar and his teenaged nephew Imran Khan are free after 16 months but what happened to them is likely to haunt them forever. Both Shoaib and Imran, who were among the four persons acquitted by a Hyderabad court in a terror related case earlier this week, say they want to forget everything but the nightmares keep coming back.
Police sources said they suspect the hand of Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami behind the blast.
The chief minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those killed in the bomb blast, and of Rs 20,000 for those injured
The investigation into the three bomb blasts at Hyderabad has taken a new turn with the narco analysis test of an accused revealing that fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim funded both the Mecca Masjid and twin blasts in Hyderabad earlier this year. The revelation that Dawood spent crores of rupees on the blasts was made by Majid, the youngest brother of Shahid Bilal, the HuJI operative, who is a prime suspect in the blasts.
A team of the Hyderabad Police arrived in Ajmer on Saturday to probe the links between the blast at the xxxx dargah and the Mecca Masjid blasts in the city on May 18. The explosives were found wrapped in a Telegu newspaper, indicating that those who planted the bomb had a link with Hyderabad. Both Mecca Masjid and Ajmer blasts took place at religious places, when people had gathered to offer their prayers.
The IB says that Hamza was the man behind the murder of Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya in 2003.
Every time an act of terror is committed in Hyderabad, suspicion falls on Shahid, alias Bilal alias Abdul Rehman.
Just a day after the blasts, the police came to the conclusion that the blasts had been carried out by HuJI.
According to police sources in Hyderabad, Quadri, who runs a watch repair shop, was in constant touch with Shahed alias Bilal, the alleged mastermind behind the masjid blasts.
The SIC also announced on Saturday night that Shoaib has been arrested in a case under the Passport Act and is being produced before the magistrate.
The ISI's new terror matrix comprises three major terrorist groups, at least half-a-dozen big and small front organisations with extremist ideology, spanning three countries.
Falaknuma Inspector Sudhakar and Mughalpura Inspector Ramachandra Reddy, who were in charge at the firing spot, were transferred by the city Police Commissioner Balvinder Singh.
The Indian ace said she was hoping for an injury-free year after her 2007 season was cut short due to a series of niggles.
A police officer told rediff.com that if they manage to elicit all the information available with Imran then both the Mecca Masjid blast and twin blasts cases could be solved in record time.
It will be interesting to see what the Hyderabad police will now do to secure Shahid aka Bilal, who is allegedly in Bangladesh.
The state government had ordered the CBI probe into the bomb blast in the mosque on May 18.
Nayeem alias Sameer was earlier in the custody of Mumbai police and was brought to Hyderabad on a transit warrant.
The Special Branch of Hyderabad City Police and State Intelligence had submitted their preliminary reports to the government admitting that the police firing on May 18 was indiscriminate and unwarranted.
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