‘Black Monday Gujarat revenge’

Three of those held, including the two women, were produced in a special court today after they were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA)—and remanded to police custody till September 15. This is the first time that a woman have been arrested under POTA.

Arshad Shafique Ansari (25), Fehmida Sayyed (37) and her daughter Fareen Sayyed (17) were remanded to police custody while the fourth accused, Hanif Sayyed Mohammed (41), Fehmida’s husband, could not be produced in court as he was admitted to a hospital. Police teams led by Rakesh Maria—who led the investigation in the 1993 serial blasts case—nabbed the group after zeroing in on slum settlements at Chimanpada, Andheri in north Mumbai, a few days ago. Disguised as fruit and vegetable vendors and salesmen, policemen kept a watch on the Sayyed Mohammed household for three days and nights.

‘‘But it was Ansari’s detention after he was picked up on Friday that confirmed the involvement of the other three,’’ said Maria, now the city’s Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime).

The police then picked up Hanif and his family, who, they said, confessed to having planted a total of four bombs in the city, including the two at Mumbadevi and the Gateway of India.

Apart from the recent attacks, the four reportedly confessed to also having planted bombs at SEEPZ near Andheri on December 2 last year (which was defused) and on a BEST bus near Ghatkopar in July 2003, which killed two persons and injured over 25.

The mastermind behind the blasts is said to be one Nassir, who ‘‘indoctrinated’’ Hanif and Arshad and supplied the explosives. Nassir, 40, who is suspected of having links with Lashkar-e-Toiba, provided gelatin sticks, detonators, gunpowder, crackers and alarm clocks to the duo. Police believe he is in Hyderabad.

Hanif, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was a school dropout-turned-electrician who worked in Saudi Arabia for five years before moving to Dubai where he worked as a forklift driver for the Hilton Hotel. He came in contact with a Lashkar member at some point, and through him with Nassir.

Police sau that Nassir got him to return to Mumbai on September 14 last year and told him to meet Arshad Ansari on his arrival.

Arshad, an embroiderer, is said to have fled Surat after he was persecuted during the Gujarat riots. He later drove autorickshaws in Mumbai to make a living. Teaming up with Hanif, the duo made contact with Nassir, who had by then arrived in India.

According to the police, Arshad taught Hanif how to assemble bombs. Hanif, in his statement to the police, is said to have confessed that he, in turn, taught his wife and daughter. Finishing touches were often given by Arshad and Nassir.

On August 24, a day before Black Monday, Hanif and Fehmida along with their two daughters, Farheen and Shakira (4), hired the taxi (MHO2-2007) to survey the spot at the Gateway of India where the bomb was to be placed, while Nassir and Arshad headed off to Zaveri Bazaar.

When they returned, they began assembling the explosives, which comprised 280 pieces of gelatine sticks in all, weighing 24 kg along with other materials.

Hanif and his family were at work upto 3 am the next day. They left their house at Chimanpada with the explosives around 11.30 am. On reaching Gateway of India, they got off and told the driver, Shiv Narayan Pandey, that they would return after lunch at Cafe Baghdadi behind the Taj.

Around the same time, Arshad had arrived at Zaveri Bazaar, after a long ride from Juhu Galli, with the explosive in the boot of the taxi. Both bombs were timed to explode around 1 pm.

The getaway was equally smooth: Hanif and his family members boarded a BEST bus to Mahim before changing another bus enroute to Chimanpada while Arshad melted into the crowd at Zaveri Bazaar and was about 1.5 km from the spot when he heard the blast. He quickly took a bus to Andheri.