The Indian Mujahideen, the organisation which claimed responsibility for the serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh, does not exist, investigators have told rediff.com.
Investigators have found a direct link between the August 25 Hyderabad and the Uttar Pradesh serial blasts, which means that the Harkat-ul-Jihadi is behind both the acts of terror.
The Hyderabad police had confirmed that it was HuJI commander Shahid Bilal who was behind both the Hyderabad and Ajmer blasts. Taking leads from the investigation conducted by the Hyderabad cops, the Uttar Pradesh police now say that the timer device used in the serial blasts are similar to the ones used in Hyderabad.
The key evidence is that the timer device used in both the attacks were manufactured by the same company, Prince. The 12 volt batteries used to trigger the devices in both the attacks are the same, the investigators say.
The Uttar Pradesh police are now probing from where the devices were purchased and are likely to seek the help of the Hyderabad police. The investigators in Hyderabad say that they too are looking into this aspect are ready to offer any help and assistance required to their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh.
The link surfaced following the arrest of two HuJI operatives Tariq Mohammad and Khalid Mohammad. The duo was arrested in the Kashmir valley on December 21. The Uttar Pradesh police have managed to get a lot of clues, the most important one being that the blasts at both places were carried out by the same outfit.
Although the role of Shahid Bilal is not ruled out in the Uttar Pradesh blasts, the police say that the serial blasts were conducted under the supervision of Sabah Hijaji, another commander of the HuJI.
Following the Uttar Pradesh blasts, a mail claiming responsibility for the blasts was sent out by a little known outfit called the Indian Mujahideen. Investigators had then said the organization might not exist and the mail was aimed at diverting the heat off the HuJI, which at present is India's most dreaded outfit.
The police are also looking to find leads from the narcoanalysis report of Majid, the youngest brother of Shahid Bilal. He had said fake currency was pumped in by Dawood Ibrahim to fund the blasts at Ajmer, Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh. He had also said that Shahid was still alive and was in Uttar Pradesh at the moment. These aspects have led the police to believe that all the three blasts were carried out by the same outfit.