2nd time lucky? Lashkar man brought to Delhi for blast probe

The first arrest in the October 29 Delhi triple blasts case leading them nowhere—the 17-year-old Ghulam Mohiuddin Lone was sent back today to J&K—investigators have now zeroed in on what they call a “substantive” catch: Tariq, a suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba operative, whom security agencies call a “crucial link” to information on the perpetrators of the blasts and the method used.

Top Government sources said that Tariq, who has a Lashkar background, was picked up by the Delhi police from the Valley and brought to the capital this evening from Srinagar. The militant was brought on a transit remand to Delhi and was to be produced in the local court this evening with a plea to be sent to police custody for interrogation.

Tariq, sources said, was being tailed by security agencies for the past four days in the Valley and, at least once, was even able to evade arrest. He was identified as a suspect on the basis of telephone calls made to Kashmir.

Given the flap over Lone’s arrest, the Home Ministry and the Delhi Police are understandably tight-lipped. But Tariq’s arrest was discussed at a high-level meeting in the Home Ministry this morning. And throughout the day in a series of meetings by internal security agencies. The Delhi serial blasts left 71 dead. The first blast took place at Paharganj at 5.38 pm, the next one at Sarojini Nagar market at 5.45 pm and the last one at 5.50 pm in a bus in Govindpuri.