ATS claims Mumbai triple blasts case cracked

The Maharashtra Anti Terror Squad (ATS) today claimed to have cracked the 13/7 Mumbai blasts that left over 25 dead and 137 injured. Addressing a press conference in Mumbai ATS chief Rakesh Maria said that the main accused in the case, Yasin Bhatkal, associated with the Indian Mujahideen is still on the run. Maria said that the ATS travelled to over 18 states, speaking to over 12,373 witnesses and reviewed over 180 hrs of CCTV footage as a part of its investigations before it received leads late November 2011. “The investigations were handed over to the ATS on July 18. During the investigations and lookout we made inquiries in 18 states. There are 12373 witness in the case. We have analysed footages from 180 camera. Success was achieved and we have been able to pinpoint the perpetrators of the crime,” said Maria [caption id=“attachment_191311” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“PTI”]  [/caption] So far the Maharashtra ATS has made two arrests from Darbhanga in Bihar. The arrested have been identified as Naqi Ahmed & Nadeem Akhtar. Both were held in Mumbai & are aged 22 and 23 respectively. Both Naqi and Nadeem were arrested in case pertaining to sale of fraudulent SIM cards in Pune. The ATS alleges that the two were indoctrinated by Bhatkal and stole vehicles, which would later be used to plant explosives in Dadar, Zaveri Bazar and Opera House. Powerful IED blasts had rocked the bustling Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar areas in Mumbai within a span of 30 minutes on July 13, 2011, killing 27 and wounding 137 others. The first blast had taken place at 6:54 pm at south Mumbai’s crowded Zaveri Bazaar. Within a few minutes, Opera House and Dadar were also hit by powerful explosions.