Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 24: The central crime branch (CCB) police who are investigating the bomb blasts which happened at nine spots in the city including Madiwala bus stand in 2008, has found that suspected terrorist, P A Saleem, who has links with Lashkar-e-Taiba, was also a contract killer.

After arresting Saleem from his native place, Parambay, the special investigation team led by assistant commissioner of police, P T Subramanya had brought him here, after which several officials grilled him.

The CCB officials had succeeded in taking Saleem into custody on October 10 this year, after he succeeded in remaining elusive for ten long years after the blasts. During the questioning which went on for 12 days, the police personnel found that Saleem had killed a youth, a friend of his, after the said blasts, in 2012 at his native place, Parambay, after accepting a contract amounting to Rs 25 lac. The police also unearthed information about Saleem having posed as income tax officials along with some others, threatening employees of a private company and robbing them.

Saleem, who was keeping low after the serial blasts of 2008 at Bengaluru at various parts of the country, had returned to his native place, Parambay, in 2011. Thereafter, he got involved with minor crimes for making money. During this period, he had murdered a person named Naushad by accepting Rs 25 lac relating to a woman.

In 2012, after collecting Rs 25 lac he was paid for murdering Naushad, Saleem stayed for a few months there. The CCB had then concentrated on Kerala in its investigation. Saleem, who learnt about it, came to the city, rented a house at Azad Nagar here and operated a bakery for two years, it is learnt.

Saleem had gone to Bahrain seeking work after completing SSLC, and stayed there for some years. He returned to his home in 2005-06, and during this period, came into contact with another accused in the case, Nazeer.