Mumbai: Chikmangalur in Karnataka was one of
the places where the conspiracy to engineer blast at Pune's
German Bakery was hatched allegedly by members of Indian
Mujahideen, Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad sources said
today.
During investigations it has come to light that
"discussions" to trigger a blast in Pune were held at
Chikamangalur by members of the outlawed terror outfit, who
not only participated in the act but also took training in
bomb-making there, the sources told PTI.
The probe into the blast led the investigating officials
to look at the map of Chikmangalur, situated in south western
part of Karnataka and surrounded by Baba Budangiri hills and
dense forests. It is located 250 km from Bangalore.
"While probing the role of IM members including that of
Yasin Bhatkal in the Pune blast, the investigation led us to
the links he and his associates had with Chikmangaluru...In
fact, Yasin had stayed at Chikmangaluru for a few years," an
ATS official said.
"During the probe, it was learnt that part of the
training in bomb-making was imparted here and discussions
about the Pune blast were held during meetings there," the
official added.
ATS claimed to have identified Yasin, who hails from
Karnataka, as the mastermind behind the Pune's German Bakery
bomb blast in February in which 17 people, including some
foreigners, were killed.
IM has been blamed by the police for a string of bomb
blasts across the country since 2006. Twenty-one of its
members have been arrested so far for their alleged
involvement in blasts at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad,
Delhi and planting explosives in Surat.
-PTI
First Published: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 21:32