Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

No arrests even one year after Masjid blast

HYDERABAD: So close to achieving breakthrough yet so far from arresting the accused!

That puts in perspective the position of investigating agencies in the Mecca Masjid blast case. On Sunday, it would be exactly a year since an Improvised Explosive Device was triggered inside the historical mosque killing nine namazis.

The paradox is police could reconstruct the entire terror operation -- from smuggling the explosive substances from Bangladesh to Hyderabad to planting the IEDs in the mosque -- based on the narco-test reports of the suspects. But they could not arrest a single person connected to the case for want of clinching evidence.

A case relating to the blast and another about the unexploded IED recovered from the mosque premises were registered and eventually transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The city police constituted a Special Investigation Cell to probe the blast case initially. The SIC picked up several suspects and conducted narco-analysis tests on them.

Statements of the suspects and other leads indicated that HuJI terror cell commander Mohd. Abdul Shahid alias Bilal, a Hyderabadi operating from abroad, and his associate Khaja had masterminded the attack. An alleged LeT operative Shaik Abdul Nayeem of Maharashtra smuggled the explosive substances from Bangladesh into the city. He handed the material to one Imran in Hasmathpet here through his relative Shoaib Jagirdar.

HuJI Bangladeshi activist Abu Hamja came to Hyderabad in the first week of May last, along with Majnu, Tanveer and Zabi and two others, all Bangladeshis and prepared eight IEDs.

It is learnt that Khaja’s brother Khader, who is presently in Dubai, provided the logistical support.

The IEDs were later given to Rafi and Zabir, both Hyderabadis but it was Kareem Dabba, a childhood friend of Shahid, who planted the IEDs in the Masjid. Despite stumbling upon such information, no concrete evidence connecting the persons in question with the operation could be gathered by the SIC.

This is because terrorists adopted ‘cut-off’ system in executing their operation. As per this strategy, an activist would be entrusted with a specific job of providing shelter to somebody or transporting material to a place. No two persons would know all details of the attack.

“Unlike offenders in other cases, they did not use mobile phones extensively and depended on Internet for passing on communication. Hence, not much evidence could be gathered,” an investigator said.

The alleged main conspirators -- Shahid and Khaja -- and the IED maker Abu Hamja and his associates are abroad.

Other locals who aided and abetted them were picked up. In the absence of evidence linking them to the Mecca Masjid blast case, the police arrested them after registering cases of criminal conspiracy against them.

As the SIC was subsequently disbanded, the CBI took over investigation and is making efforts to collate available details and gather evidence to take the case to the logical end.

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