Daily News & Analysis

MUMBAI, Sep 24: Investigators have finally found a clear trail leading to the men responsible for the blasts that shook the city on July 11. The eight men in their sights include the seven people who actually planted the bombs. The eighth man provided logistical support to the bombers.

The men have been identified as Zaibuddin Ansari, Faizal Pakistani, Aklam, Malik, Basabhai, Bashir, Akhlaq and Siddiqui. Faizal is a Pakistani national; Siddiqui, who provided logistical support, is a resident of Temkar Mohalla at Mohammad Ali road in Mumbai; and the remaining six are Pakistani nationals.

Intelligence sources say the men fled Mumbai by train after the blasts and went to Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. From there, they travelled to Buranpur village (a Muslim dominated area), which is about 200km from Indore, by road. There, they hid out at the Asirgadh fort.

“Siddiqui had made arrangements for the bombers to camp at the fort. The bombers reached the fort on July 13 and had a big party to celebrate their success with some locals,” a senior police officer said. The next day the men fled to Bangladesh. “Some of them have already gone to Pakistan from Bangladesh,” the officer added.

The agencies got a whiff of the bombers some days after the blasts. “Several teams from the Mumbai police, central intelligence agencies and MP police stayed there for over a month and have gathered critical information about the eight men. We got to know through the locals that these people had a big celebration,” an officer who had gone to Buranpur said.