Patna, Oct 29 (IANS) A security official caught hold of a man scurrying away from a Patna railway station toilet where a blast took place Sunday. And the terror suspect who tried to bluff his way out has turned out to be a big catch.
Mohammad Imtiaz Ansari, main accused in the serial blasts in Patna, was caught by a Government Railway Police (GRP) official when he suspected something was amiss with the youth trying to flee after coming out of toilet following a bomb explosion.
Senior officials have declined to name the brave GRP official for security reasons as also because it would endanger him.
“Imtiaz was forced to flee after a bomb exploded when another terror suspect Ainul alias Tarique was trying to fit or fix a timer in a bomb at a Patna junction toilet,” a senior GRP official at Patna junction said.
ADG (Special Branch) Rajesh Chandra said Imtiaz tried to act smart when the GRP official first pounced upon him and nabbed him.
“He said he was a tailor (darzi) and he had to go to Kalyanpur in Motihari. But there is no place called Kalyanpur in Motihari. In fact, Kalyanpur is in Samastipur district,” Chandra said.
Police recovered a piece of paper from Imtiaz’s pocket, which had seven phone numbers and they recovered his mobile phone too.
Additional Director General (Rail) P.N. Rai described it as a big catch.
Imtiaz confessed that he along with six people was divided into three groups with specific assignments to carry out the blasts.
He admitted that all the bombs were planted Sunday morning after 9 a.m.
“Imtiaz told police that he along with another terror suspect was given the task of planting bombs at the Patna junction toilet and other adjoining places, and two other groups were asked by Tahseen Akhtar to plant bombs on two sides of Gandhi Maidan, where Modi was to address the rally,” he said.
Tahseen is an activist-leader of the banned outfit Indian Mujahideen, and is the brain behind serial blasts now.
Six of the seven blasts took place in and around Gandhi Maidan before Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was to address a rally. Six people were killed and 83 injured in these serial blasts.
Imtiaz told sleuths that all of them left Ranchi by a bus Oct 26 night and reached Mithapur bus stand, nearly 300 metres from Patna junction around 6 Sunday morning.
Chandra said the terrorists formed three groups that left for different destinations, including Patna railway junction, with six bombs each – made of 8-9-inch pipes with explosives filled inside.
Bihar Police have decided to reward the GRP official who caught Mohammad Imtiaz Ansari.
Additional Director General (Rail) P.N. Rai said the GRP official will be rewarded for his courageous action.
Bihar Police chief Abhyanand has recommended Rs.25,000 prize for the brave GRP official, Rai said.
He, however, refused to name the GRP official on security grounds.
He said Imtiaz was a big catch as that will help to crack the case of serial blasts in Patna.
“Terrorist Kasab was caught during Mumbai terror attack. More or less similarly, Imtiaz was caught by GRP official,” Rai said.
Officials at police headquarters here said that state government is likely to announce a bigger prize for the GRP official.
The first of the low-intensity blasts ripped through a toilet at around 10 a.m. at the newly-built Platform 10 of the Patna railway station in the heart of the city.
After an hour, by which time Modi had reached Patna but not the rally ground, six explosions took place – four inside the Gandhi Maidan, and two around it.
The Patna railway station is located two-three km from the sprawling Gandhi Maidan.
