Pune blasts were planned to cause mayhem

There has been talk of the bombs at Pune being low intensity in nature. However, looking at the preliminary investigation that has been conducted by the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory, it gives us the clear indication that had the bombs taken off as they were designed to, it would be nothing short of mayhem.

The bomb was designed to perfection. The components, ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, were perfectly in place and all the bombs were flawlessly timed so that it could take off when the large crowds were either getting in or out.

Now the question is what went wrong with the bomb? Sources point out that there could be two reasons for the same. Ammonium nitrate is hydroscopic in nature and could have picked up moisture as a result of which the bombs did not really take off. The other cause could be that the charge picked up moisture, once again causing the bomb to fail.

When Union Home Secretary R K Singh speaks of a planned operation he is not wrong one bit. It had been planned for months and the equipments procured locally so that there was no doubt in the minds of the investigators as to some major operation was being planned.

The contents that were used in the bomb were not difficult to procure and groups such as the Indian Mujahideen have ample stock on them.

Sources in the Intelligence Bureau say that it bears the signature of a Yasin Bhatkal operation considering the scary similarity it had with the Chinnaswamy stadium blasts in Bengaluru.

Both these operations were aimed at causing mayhem to the fullest extent. At the Chinnaswamy stadium crowds were getting into the stadium and the bombs were timed to set off at that time. Even at Pune there was an agitation on by the supporters of Team Anna and the bombs were timed to go off when the crowds were either getting in or out.

It is more than an act of mischief, IB sources say.

"A person wanting to play mischief will not plan an operation to such an extent and it is definitely the handiwork of a very professional outfit. Barring the fact that ammonium nitrate and the charge caught moisture there was absolutely no flaw in the manner in which the bombs were assembled. Moreover the manner in which they dodged every agency to plant these bombs is an indicator of how precise the planning was," sources add.

The fact that they used bicycles like they have done in the past in Jaipur blasts also shows that it bears the signature of the Indian Mujahideen. Right from the planning to the final execution it bears similarities with the earlier blasts such as 13/7 triple blasts in Mumbai or the Chinnaswamy stadium blasts.

A friend of murdered Siddiqui

It was said on day one of the blasts that this could have been a revenge for the death of Indian Mujahideen operative Qateel Siddiqui who was murdered in a Pune jail.

He happens to be a good friend of Yasin Bhatkal and it was only natural that the death would have been avenged. In fact the police also had an anonymous letter to this effect that the death of Siddiqui would be avenged. But in their true fashion the security agencies sat over the warning letter waiting for something of this nature to happen.

Yasin and Siddiqui operated together since many years. They were together in planning of the Chinnaswamy blasts as well. In fact Siddiqui coordinated with Yasin and planted the bomb in Bengaluru. However, Siddiqui was arrested and later murdered in jail at Pune.

This was being seen as a war between the Islamists and the Hindus and there has been specific intelligence that some operatives in the underworld were undertaking the job of killing Islamists in the jails in India. Sources say that in order to avenge the death of Siddiqui, Yasin could have planned this operation.

IM goes wrong

What one can notice in the latest operations of the Indian Mujahideen is that they are able to plan an operation to perfection, but when it comes to the execution they are unable to create the impact.

They have played with RDX in the Delhi high court blasts and ammonium nitrate in the 13/7 blasts, and now the Pune blasts.

They are able to get the composition right and also their foot soldiers in place. But the key aspect missing is manner in which the detonators are positioned to explode the bomb.

The IM has been having major issues with expertise and this is thanks to the arrest of many of their key operatives. There were the likes of Abdus Subhan and also Mansoor Peerbhoy who were masters at this game.

While Subhan is on the run, Mansoor is under arrest. Hence the IM has been relying very heavily on novices as a result of which their act fails at the last minute. However agencies say that even if the IM is not getting the desired results in terms of mayhem, they still continue to send a message that they are around and are capable of undertaking an attack of this nature.

An 'opportunity hunter'

Now comes the investigation of the tailor Dayanand Patil who has been questioned repeatedly in connection with Wednesday's Pune blasts. Sources in the IB say that he was nothing but an opportunity hunter.

Patil saw a parcel and decided to pick it up. His intention was to steal the parcel not knowing that there was a bomb in it.

Although his versions are very contradictory in nature, sources maintain that he is confused and in a state of shock. He is not being treated as an accused in the case and the police are just trying to get more leads from him.

They are also seeking the help of the cycle vendor in preparing the sketches. The vendor has confirmed that few bicycles were purchased from him on the day of the blasts.