Patna serial blasts: 7 suspects detained; hunt for clues on

At least seven suspects have been detained in connection with Sunday's serial blasts in Patna in which six people were killed and 83 injured.

While four were nabbed in Patna, three persons were detained in Ranchi last night.

Jharkhand police raided the home of a man suspected to have engineered the Patna bombings and found a pressure cooker bomb, said authorities.

Imtiyaz, one of the suspects, belongs to Ranchi and his house was raided Sunday night by the police.

 

Police found one pressure cooker bomb, Islamic literature, photo of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, a pen drive, CD and other incriminating documents.

 

Imtiyaz's house is situated at Sithio colony. His father and uncle were interrogated.

 

"We are working on the lead provided by Bihar counterpart and the investigating agencies. No one has been arrested in Jharkhand so far," S.N. Pradhan, Jharkhand police spokesperson, told IANS.

 

Imtiyaz is missing for last three days from Ranchi, said police sources who added that he took a group of youths to Patna who allegedly carried out the blast.

 

In past, some youth were arrested from Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Hzaribagh in connection with terror blasts that took place in other parts of the country.

 

Manzar Imam, a terrorist accused in different blasts, was arrested early this year.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who ended his party's alliance with the BJP in August over the latter's decision to give Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the starring role in its campaign for the national elections, yesterday said there should be no politics over the blasts.

Kumar, who announced Rs.5 lakhs as financial assistance for the families of the deceased in the Patna serial blasts, confirmed that there was no intelligence input about the explosions.

"The government will provide financial help of Rs. 5 lakhs to the victims of bomb blast and will provide full medical support to the injured," Kumar said.

"It is not a security lapse, but, yes, you can say that it was a big challenge for us," he added.

The Bihar Chief Minister, who condemned the blasts, said that the motive for the blasts was to destabilize the peace of his state, and it was a time for leaders of the country to stand united despite their varying political ideologies.

"Motive behind blasts was to destabilize Bihar. Some people have conspired to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the state. Even if we oppose each other in political ideology, we need to remain united to fight these mischievous elements," he said.

Kumar also said the Bihar Police is confident of gaining pivotal information from the suspect regarding the investigation, and was confident of reaching solid conclusions about the perpetrators soon.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has condemned the blasts in Patna, and called for urgent steps to identify and take action against those responsible. He appealed to the people to maintain peace and calm.

Dr. Singh also spoke to the Bihar Chief Minister to enquire about the situation and call for immediate and firm action. He also assured the Chief Minister of all central assistance in the investigations.

The low intensity blasts rocked Patna between 9.30 a.m. and 12.45 p.m. yesterday shortly before BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's address to a 'Hunkar rally' in Gandhi Maidan.

Six of the bombs went off inside and near Gandhi Maidan, the rally venue. The remaining two blasts took place inside a public convenience complex at Patna Junction.