Mumbai, July 30: Police are working on a theory that the residual group, involved in earlier blasts in the city, was behind the powerful explosion that ripped a best bus at Ghatkopar on Monday night, leaving three dead and 47 injured. We strongly believe that some of the members of the groups responsible for the earlier blasts in the city, who had either not been identified or traced down, had a hand in the blast, city police commissioner R S Sharma told reporters here today.

The suspects have either regrouped themselves or formed a fresh group, he said refusing to reveal the identity of the group. Though our main line of investigations rests on this theory, we are also probing the hand of other militant outfits and groups. We are following three-four leads and hope to arrive at a conclusion soon, Sharma said.

Asked about the alleged role of Ahal-e Hadees group in the blast, the police chief said he was not aware about it. This is a religious sect and I do not know how its name has cropped up, he said.

Refusing to reveal the name of any suspects, he said that police teams have also been deployed outside the city to trace them. To a question on Dr Jalis Ansari, who was currently serving a jail sentence, he said, +at this moment we do not feel the need to question but we will do so with the permission of the magistrate when required.

Bureau Report