THE interrogation of reporter-turned-terrorist Tariq Ahmed Dar has revealed that the four bombers, all foreign nationals, set up base on the fringes of Delhi and only recceed the blast sites days before the attack.
Special Cell officials said the bombers had been advised to avoid staying in Delhi following the police busting the Deoli hideout of the Ayodhya attackers. That was in June, barely four months before the blasts.
Dar has told his interrogators that he had visited Delhi many times before the October 4-6 visit. It was, however, during this particular visit during the Ramlila celebrations that the plan was ultimately hatched. He is suspected to have stayed at Tribhuvan Guest house in Karol Bagh.
The police, however, are still tight-lipped about the exact movements of the four bombers in Delhi before the blasts. They, however, used satellite phones to make calls to Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.
Tariq had returned to Srinagar on October 6 and was back only when the blasts rocked the Capital. “From whatever preliminary intelligence inputs we have, it appears that the terrorists stayed outside the Capital,” said a senior officer.
There is speculation that explosives had also been brought in about eight to ten days before the blast and officials suspect they were brought in by a truck.
Examination of Dar’s HDFC bank accounts revealed that he had received an amount of Rs 4.86 lakh on October 27 through Dubai, just two days before the blasts.
What the bombers did in the Capital between their date of arrival and meeting Dar has still not been revealed. Further interrogation of Dar is expected to provide leads in this direction besides inputs on the funding for the blasts. Police are also tracing the RDX route into the Capital.
The Delhi Police had little clue about the terrorist organisation involved in the blasts. They started with the forensic evidence assembled from the spot. “The forensic analysis revealed that the electronic timer, clock, switch and RDX, which the experts found, were not used in its purest form,” said a senior officer.
After broadly reconstructing the assembly of the bomb, officials narrowed down on terrorist organisations which used these type of explosives. Based on the help from central intelligence agencies and technical experts, the police zeroed in on Lashkar-e-Toiba which was known to have employed a similar modus operandi in the past.
Meanwhile, another suspect has been reportedly detained in J&K and is being questioned by the police but there is no official confirmation.
Police HQ, afternoon
This was the scene at the police HQ hours before Delhi Police chief K.K. Paul was to address the 4 pm press conference. A caller, apparently from Daryaganj, said a bomb was planted at the HQ. Paul had the building searched following the 12.30 pm call, with strict orders not to delay the press conference