More than three years after the blasts on the India-Pakistan Samjhauta Express as it passed through Haryana, CBI Director Ashwani Kumar on Thursday indicated that the agency was looking at similarities in the blasts on the train with the ones in Ajmer and Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.
“The link between Mecca Masjid, Samjhauta and Ajmer blasts is that the bombs had the same arming devices and these were procured from Indore,” Ashwani Kumar told The Indian Express.
Probing that link, the Haryana ATS and CBI are jointly questioning Ajmer and Mecca Masjid blasts suspects Devendra Gupta and Chandrashekhar Barod. “Joint investigations are being carried out to know more about the Samjhauta blast,” Kumar said.
He said the suitcase locks used for triggering bombs in two coaches of the Samjhauta Express on February 18, 2007 were like the tin-bombs used in Mecca Masjid in May 2007 and Ajmer in October 2007.
The bombs were in metal pipes with grooves in single rows on one side and spiralled on the other. The device used to trigger the blast at these three places was a small suitcase lock fitted into suitcases (on Samjhauta) and tin boxes (Ajmer and Mecca Masjid).
To arm the device, a key had to be used. The Haryana ATS has been unable to crack the Samjhauta case but the arrest of suspects in the Ajmer and Mecca Masjid blasts have raised hopes of getting to the perpetrators.
“We informed the Haryana ATS about the similarities of suitcase bombs in Mecca Masjid, Ajmer and Samjhauta long back. Since then, they have been in touch with our teams. After the arrest of the two accused in the Mecca Masjid and Ajmer blasts, joint interrogation is happening,” Kumar said.
