After email, all three stolen ‘terror’ cars also traced to Navi Mumbai

While the police are considering the possibility that Heywood’s e-mail may have been hacked into via a WiFi network, what has turned the spotlight on Navi Mumbai is the that three vehicles found in Gujarat with explosives have also been traced to the city.

“Three cars used by the terrorists, that have been recovered from Ahmedabad and Surat, were stolen from Navi Mumbai. Theft cases have been registered by the owners of these cars, and investigations are in progress,” said Parambir Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police, ATS.

According to police sources, among the cars stolen from Navi Mumbai are a Wagon R lifted from Vashi on July 8 and a Maruti 800 from Sanpada on July 15. Both belong to businessmen and were stolen from parking areas in their homes.

Sources said that an RTO agent was detained by the ATS this afternoon in connection with the stolen cars.

“A probe is on in the matter, and we are trying to ascertain whether the cars were stolen by the terrorists themselves, or whether car thieves sold the vehicles to them,” said Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor.

Commenting on the links to Navi Mumbai, a senior police officer said: “Areas like Mira Road and Mumbhra are not favoured by subversive elements any more for the simple reason that they have been marked as the regular hotbeds of local terror and are, therefore, under heavy watch. Navi Mumbai has become the preferred haven for such elements these days. One of the biggest factors is the easy availability of accommodation without having to face too many questions. From flats in swanky areas to one-room accommodation, the entire range is available to people without much paperwork or questions.”

“Besides, Navi Mumbai is a vast and well-connected area with great accessibility. Surveillance is comparatively lower, all of which are conducive to the designs of these elements,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, after a day of questioning, the ATS was unwilling to give US national Heywood, a resident on the 15th floor of Gunina Apartments in Sanpada, a clean chit in its probe into the e-mail claiming responsibility for the Ahmedabad blasts.

“There is a possibility that the e-mail account may have been hacked into, but we cannot say for sure at this stage. Investigations are on in the matter, and Heywood’s laptop has been sent to the Kalina Forensic Sciences Laboratory for analysis,” said Singh.

A Surat report said a team of Special Operation Group of the city police left for Navi Mumbai after the recovery of the cars packed with explosives. Surat Police Commissioner R M S Brar said: “The explosive materials have been weighed and we came to the conclusion that more than 30 bombs could have been made from the 16 kilos of ammonium nitrate and other explosive materials found in the cars abandoned in Punagam and Varachha.”