IM names crop up in Mumbai blast probe

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What was being suspected till now is finally confirmed.

The National Investigation Agency has concluded that the July Mumbai serial bombings was the handiwork of the Indian Mujahideen.

The NIA informed the government late last month giving details regarding involvement of key IM operatives in the planning and execution of the Mumbai triple blasts. The NIA has been involved in the blast investigations along with Mumbai crime branch and anti-terror squad.

Sources privy to the NIA’s findings said the agency has concluded that the conspiracy was hatch-ed by the Bhatkal brothers, Riaz and Iqbal, who are now said to be in Pakistan, along with their two key associates, Dr Shanawaz and Mohd Khalid.

“Shahnawaz is said to be hiding in Sharjah while Khalid is in Dubai now. We have technical evidence in our possession to suggest that the four hatched the Mumbai blast conspiracy and were in touch with another group in Bangladesh. A close technical scrutiny has revealed a complex web of phone calls and e-mails from different countries between top IM operatives,’’ a top intelligence official said.

Intelligence agencies have managed to get details of certain phones calls made betw-een Aariz and Dr Shahnawaz.

Interestingly, the execution, according to NIA sources, of the plan was carried by another set of IM operatives comprising Aariz alias Junaid and Bada Sajid. Sources claim that Sajid and Aariz had sneaked into India along with two of their associates, Mirza Shadab Baig and Amanullah Akhtar, from the Bangladesh border to carry out the serial blasts.

Intelligence agencies have managed to get details of certain phone calls made between Aariz and Dr Shahnawaz. It is suspected the group left Mumbai in the evening after carrying out the bo-mbings and that the four are in Bangladesh now.