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More arrests made in Delhi blasts case

The Delhi police today announced it had arrested five more ISI-trained militants, including three Pakistani nationals, for their involvement in a number of blasts that rocked the capital and neighbouring states in the last year.

Delhi Police Commissioner T R Kakkar told the press that with these arrests, the police have also solved eight blast cases. Only two cases -- the November 30 blast at Chandni Chowk and the January 9 ITO blast -- were still unsolved, he said.

The five members belong to one of several groups of the notorious Tunda gang, which was also responsible for the Bombay serial blasts. Abdul Karim alias Tunda, the brain behind the blast, has been actively sponsoring militant activity in India and is allegedly responsible for several crimes in the country.

Tunda, who trained Indian youth at his Pakistani camp, is reportedly hiding in Bangladesh. The Delhi police has requested the home ministry for a country-to-country contact for his extradition.

The arrested Indians were Abdul Baki (a shopowner at Gali Chulhewali in the walled city in the capital) and Abdullah alias Abdul Rehman (a resident of Dhora Tanda in Bareily district of Uttar Pradesh); the Pakistanis arrested were Mohammed Hussain alias Abu Husnain, Abdullah alias Suleman and Badruddin alias Abu Haider.

Kakkar said members of these groups had been sent to create disturbances in various parts of the country, but they had no knowledge about the whereabouts of other members in India. They were acting solely on the basis of messages sent from across the border and had infiltrated the country through the Bangladesh border without passports.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition, 45 kgs of explosives and live cartridges, besides Indian and US currency, were also seized. Most of the confiscated arms were German, Kakkar said.

The interrogation of Mohammed Amir alias Kamran, arrested by the Delhi police on February 27, revealed that Abdul Baki was a member of another of Tunda's gangs.

Abdul Baki was held on March 4, and 26 live cartridges and explosive material were recovered from his shop in Sadar Bazar. On the basis of information Baki provided during interrogation, Abdullah alias Abdul Rehman was arrested from Govindpuri in south Delhi yesterday.

Chemicals used in explosives like potassium chlorate and sulphuric acid were recovered from his possession.

The police revealed that Rehman, in his turn, disclosed the hideout of Pakistani national Mohammed Hussain in Kalkaji. A .30 bore loaded pistol with seven cartridges and a huge quantity of explosives were recovered. The police overpowered Badruddin, Hussain's accomplice who tried to escape, the commissioner said.

Hussain also revealed the name of the fifth militant, Abdullah alias Suleman, who was staying in Garhi in Lajpat Nagar.

The accused, who had allegedly detonated six bombs in buses in Delhi, had established their base in some madarsas.

With the arrest of Kamran, Abdullah, Hussain, Rehman, Badruddin, Shakeel, Harron, Moosa and Abdul Baki, the Delhi police have solved 38 incidents of bomb blasts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.

The cases solved following yesterday's arrests were:
January 4, 1997: The blasts in Haryana buses near Mukundpur, and in a jeep near Mukarba Chowk on Outer Ring road in Delhi.
February 1: The blast in a bus at the Panipat bus stand.
June 20: The blast opposite central dharamshala in Kanpur.
July 2: The explosion in a bus at Peera Garhi chowk in Delhi.
July 12: The blast in a bus at ISBT in Delhi.
August 29: The blast in a bus at Pul Bangash, on Roshanara road in Delhi.

December 30: The blast in a bus near Ram Pura turning in Punjabi Bagh in Delhi.

EARLIER REPORT:
Major breakthrough in north India blasts

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