Mumbai, May 26: Investigators in the Pune’s German Bakery blast case have made a major breakthrough. A prime suspect in the blast case has been tracked to Dubai and is currently in police custody.
The CCTV image on the blast night on February 13, 2010 in which 17 people were killed and 50 others injured showed a young man wearing a cap outside Pune’s German Bakery. Investigators now believe that the man is Abdul Samad, who they claim is the prime suspect in the blast.
Strangely, while the Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday publicly complimented the Mahrashtra ATS and Pune police for cracking the case, the police booked Samad only on charges of being involved in an Arms Act case of 2009 registered in Byculla and not for the blast.
He was sent to six days of police custody, which is rare for an Arms Act case. The idea is seems was to ensure maximum police custody so that the ATS manages to collect and ascertain enough evidence to link Samad with the German Bakery blast. Under tremendous pressure to crack the case, it has not been easy for the ATS to reach upto and catch Samad.
Police say Samad is the younger brother of Yasin Bhatkal, an alleged key member of the banned Indian Mujahideen and suspected of being involved in blasts across India. Police say Samad had fled to Dubai and a Red Corner notice was issued for him. He was arrested on May 24 from the Bhatkal district of Uttar Kannada. Sources claimed the CCTV footage strengthened his links to the case.
By March 19 the ATS had identified Yasin Bhatkal and Abdul Samad from the CCTV footage, and their pictures and a look out notice was issued to all the airports.
Karnataka police told ATS Samad’s profile matches that of Yasin’s Bhatkal’s brother which was in their dossiers. Passport details suggested Samad had escaped to Dubai from Mangalore soon after the blast on February 27.
Central agencies worked with their Dubai counterparts to secure his arrest.
It’s claimed that as many as 15 calls were exchanged between the brothers before Samad escaped from India. Now with Samad in police custody, investigators say they hope his questioning will offer insights into not just the German Bakery blasts but also the overseas network of the Indian Mujahideen.
—Agencies