ATS claims to crack 13/7 Mumbai triple blast case; detains two

The Anti-terror Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police today has claimed to crack the infamous Mumbai Triple blast case held on 13 July 2011, in which 27 people were killed and over 130 other injured.

In a Press Conference in Mumbai, ATS Chief Rakesh Maria today claimed that the Maharashtra ATS team has cracked the Mumbai triple blast case and has successfully detained three people so far, in which two persons, who were arrested this January, belong to Darbhanga district of Bihar.

The Maharashtra ATS team has reportedly arrested Naqi Ahmed Wasi Ahmed Sheikh (22) and Nadeem Akhtar Ashfaq Sheikh (23) on 12 January 2012. The ATS team has also claimed to successfully uncover the financial trail of the blasts.

According to Maria, "A lot of stress and importance was given to trace the financial trail of these blasts. For this ATS team has visited 18 states and examined 12,373 people."

The team got a clue in the last week of November 2011, and the investigators left for Darbhanga on 2 December 2011. Both Naqi and Nadeem were arrested from Darbhanga, Bihar. Both were living in the same village of Darbhanga district.

Naqi and Nadeem had stolen two scooters to be used them in blasts. One scooter was used in Zaveri Bazar blast, said ATS chief.

Later two more scooters were stolen by the duo for using them in another blasts that have been recovered from Darbhanga, added police.

According to ATS Chief, the mastermind of the Blast Yasin Bhatkal, who is yet to be arrested, has perhaps given Rs.1.5 lakh to Naqi as a commission to conduct the blast along with the explosives.

That money was might be the part of Rs.10-lakh that was received to Bhatkal through hawala channel, stated police.

Ruling out the rumour reports of Naqi being innocent spreading in the media, the ATS Chief stated that Naqi knew Bhatkal since 2008.

'Bhatkal called him Delhi to handle a packet containing explosives to be handled over to other accused,' claimed police.

Bhatkal left Mumbai on July 13 and never came back, ATS chief added.

Maria also claimed that Bhatkal finalised the accommodation in Byculla, Mumbai, for which Naqi made the payment while the second accused Nadeem was living in Antop Hill area of Mumbai.

The ATS Team had arrested another accused Haroon Rashid Naik, in August last year in a counterfeit currency case and the wire of this case gave the clue of the financial aspects of the 13/7 Mumbai blasts, media report claimed.

On 13 July 2011, the Powerful IED blasts had rocked the bustling Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar areas in Mumbai within a span of 30 minutes.