8216;His name was linked to all blasts8217;

Now that he is in custody,officers said he was a tough nut to crack and even at his age he was quite active both physically and mentally.

He was a very big name then,more than what he is now. He was calling the shots in Pakistan and was the most important person there. He used to pass on chemical formula of crude bombs to young men who had been indoctrinated. His name was synonymous with all the bomb blasts in the country, said Tandon, who was part of the Inter State Cell ISC of the Crime Branch which arrested around 26 members of the module following the blasts.

Another officer said Tunda was one of the dominant forces and had links to almost every blast in the country. Tunda shifted base to Bangladesh for some time and had settled in Rajshahi area of Bangladesh. sWhenever we analysed any IED and found traces of potassium chlorate and sulphuric acid we knew it was him. He was predictable in the way he asked his men to make the bombs, said another officer.

The fact that he has lived in the LeTs headquarters is an important aspect and he can come out with some valuable information regarding the groups operations, said IPS officer Karnal Singh,a former head of the Crime Branch.