‘Terrorists carried explosives on PMPML bus’

Activists said the news raises questions about the safety of over 11 lakh commuters who travel daily by PMPML buses.

The Delhi Police,which had last week announced the arrests of three IM operatives in connection with the J M Road blasts,had not revealed the mode of transport used by them. When asked whether the suspects used bus,train or autorickshaw to reach J M Road on August 1,S N Srivastva,Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell),Delhi,told The Indian Express,”The suspects took public bus service to reach the site of their target.”

On August 1,the three suspects had gone to Phadke Haud in the city and bought three bicycles that were left at the cycle stand at the Deccan bus stand. In the evening,the terrorists left their rented accommodation carrying rucksacks containing IEDs. The cycles were rigged with IEDs and abandoned on the J M Road,where the low-intensity blasts took place,Delhi Police said.

From their rented accommodation,the suspects had the option of reaching two bus stops where from the buses go to PMC headquarters. One bus stop is right on the Pune-Mumbai highway at Kasarwadi.

Another is at Gurav Pimple. In fact,Gurav Pimple has a bus stand where the buses start their journey. Both the bus stops are nearly 1 km away from their rented accommodation.

Investigators believe that most probably the IM operatives took the Gurav Pimple route to travel to J M Road and not Kasarwadi where the buses are overcrowded during evening time.

While the Delhi police is apparently silent about how they went to the bus stop,local police sources said the mode of transport could be an autorickshaw in the city. The police rule out the possibility of the suspects walking to the bus stop carrying rucksacks filled with explosives.

The family members of landlord Yusuf Shaikh too said they never saw the suspects using any other mode of transport,except for autos.

“We never saw them using two-wheelers to travel,” said his wife Suraiya Shaikh.

When approached,PMPML joint managing director Pravin Ashtikar said,”Delhi Police have not sounded us so far. When they do,we will see what action to be initiated.” Ashtikar said he will find out the system of luggage carried in buses.

PMPML spokesperson Deepak Pardeshi said,”Rucksacks are carried by most of the students. It is difficult to stop anybody from carrying rucksacks and practically difficult to check them.” He said PMPML always advises conductors and passengers to immediately report about the presence of any unclaimed bags.

Prashant Inamdar of the Pedestrians First said,”It is difficult to check every rucksack in buses. PMPML can have CCTVs at bus stops. This too is costly.

Not the first time

This is not the first time terrorists have used bus service to carry explosives. After the German Bakery blasts in February 2010,it had come to light during investations that explosives were brought by terrorists from Udgir to Pune by a State Transport bus.

“Buses are convenient for transporting explosives since you get lost in the crowd and there is no police checking. Travelling by buses could be part of their strategy not to attract any attention…. Since using metal detector plan is not feasible here,” said activist Prashant Inamdar.

‘Baig left cellphones with me in Aurangabad a day before blast’

A witness in the German Bakery blast told Additional Sessions Judge N P Dhote on Friday that suspect Himayat Baig alias Yusuf came to his house in Aurangabad on February 12,2010 for giving two cell phones.

“Yusuf said he has taken money from some persons who are now demanding it back and harassing him by making phone calls. Yusuf asked me to keep the cell phones on,receive the calls and tell the callers that he has gone out. Yusuf also asked me to call back on missed call numbers and tell that he has gone out,” said the witness,a 25-year-old youth hailing from Aurangabad.

“On February 13,2010 (the day of the blast) Yusuf again came between 10 pm and 10.30 pm for taking his cell phones back. He looked very tired. When I asked Yusuf why was he so tired,he said that he travelled a long way on motorbike to reach here… Later,whenever we met,he spoke about Jehad,” the witness said. “I did not know that Yusuf’s name is Himayat Baig. I got to know this later,” he said.

The witness also told court,”Yusuf introduced me as Salman to his friend……When I asked him why he introduced me as Salman,Yusuf said we are working for an organisation for which we do not tell real names…I asked him the name of the organisation. He said LeT.”

Investigators believe that Baig purposefully kept his cell phones in Aurangabad on February 12 and 13,2010,so that his call detail records showed that he was not in Pune but in Aurangabad when the German Bakery blast took place. It is being probed whether Baig went to Aurangabad on a motorbike after the bomb was planted at German Bakery.

Meanwhile,the witness told the court that he first came in contact with Baig alias Yusuf through a common friend in June 2007 at a darj,a religious meeting in Parbhani.

Then he again met him at Usmanpura bazaar in Aurangabad in 2008.

“Yusuf talked about jehad,harassment to Muslims and about taking revenge. He talked about mobilising youths for training. He said he would arrange training and also weapons for it,” the witness told the court.

The witness also said,”Yusuf introduced me to his friends at Global Internet Cafe in 2009…..I distanced myself from Yusuf since he often spoke about Jehad.”

Baig talked of terrorist training,need for revenge,says witness

Another witness,a youth from Aurangabad,who deposed before the court said that he used to live in Beed earlier and had seen Baig working with terror suspect Zabiuddin Ansari alias Zabi alias Abu Jundal in 2006,the prime suspect in 26/11 Mumbai attack. A cousin of the witness reportedly fled along with Zabi after the Aurangabad RDX haul in 2006.

The witness said in 2007 he came across Baig at a religious meeting in Beed. A few months later he went to a party organised by Baig at Kaij in Beed,where youths had a discussion on Babri Masjid demolition,Gujarat riots and the need to take revenge.

The witness further said he developed good relations with Baig. So when he came to Pune in 2008 for a job,he allowed Baig to use his State Bank of Hyderabad account in Beed and ATM card. The witness said he also had a meeting with Baig in Pune.

Later,due to some reasons he lost his job in Pune. He requested Baig to look for a job. Baig called him to Udgir in December 2008. Baig started Global Internet Cafe in a rented shop in Udgir. The witness worked with Baig at the cyber cafe and also stayed with him in a rented house in Udgir.

The witness said Baig used go out of Udgir two to four times a month. He also used to be cautious while chatting and speaking on cellphone at cyber cafe. The witness said he also went to Hyderabad with Baig and while returning by train,Baig allegedly showed him a video clip on terrorists’ training programme in Afghanistan.

Baig allegedly said,”We should also take such a training.” The witness said he shifted to Aurangabad from Beed due to his mother’s transfer in August 2010.