Even as the investigators are keeping mum about the identity of the perpetrators of the serial blasts in Mumbai, Central investigating agencies are reviewing the inputs gathered by them in the past two years.
A day after this newspaper reported about Central agencies theory that the blasts could have been a handiwork of the Indian Mujaheedin’s new outfit Bullet-313, an IB source said that as all the evidence are being gradually correlated, it is becoming clear that the blast was carried out in the Indian Mujaheedin’s signature style.
“Bullet 313 was formed last year for carrying out fresh attacks,” said source from IB. “The Indian Mujaheedin already had its own media wing, along with a team, which looks after logistics, and another is in charge of planning and execution,” the source said.
However, in 2008, around 75 Indian Mujaheedin operatives were arrested for their alleged role in the Ahmedabad and Delhi blasts. “This was major jolt to Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, which provides support to the Indian Mujaheedin. Hence, it became an important for them to form a new team in order to misguide the Indian intelligence agencies,” said source.
Further, the IB discovered that these new operatives were being trained in Bangladesh and not Pakistan, due to the increased surveillance and international pressure after the 26/11 terror attack. “It is likely that Bangladesh-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami would have provided cadres and also other logistics support to the new outfit,” the source said.
“During the interrogation of the arrested Indian Mujaheedin operatives in UP in 2010, we traced a particular call to Karachi, through which we got to know about the formation of Bullet 313,” the IB source added. The handler was instructing his counterpart in India on how to form Bullet 313, and also giving him details on how the Indian Mujaheedin’s operations are important to the LeT.
“Simi members in UP, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, held meeting to recruit new operatives,” the source said.
“Around 40 sleepers cells are active in UP alone, and even Madhya Pradesh is becoming an Indian Mujaheedin hub, after Karnataka coming under scanner,” said source. “In the past, the Indian Mujaheedin had conducted various training camps in the border of Karnataka, Kerala and the Chikamagadlur district in AP,” he added.
Meanwhile, ATS chief Rakesh Maria said that they have sent teams to different states in country. “We have sent different teams to West Bengal, UP, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,” Mr Maria said.