Index Page                                Archives

Police release sketches of serial blast accused

     New Delhi: Police in Delhi on Wednesday released three sketches of a suspect involved in the October 29 bomb blast in the Govindpuri area of the city, even as they intensified their search for the terrorists responsible for the serial killings. Raids were conducted at several places, including Meerut, Muzzaffarnagar and Baghpat in western Uttar Pradesh. The three sketches are of the person who planted the bomb inside a public transport bus near Govindpuri in South Delhi. After speaking to the passengers of the bus, police drew the sketch of the suspect who is said to be 21-22 years old, standing 5 feet, 5 inches tall. They said that on the day of the blast, he was wearing a white shirt with grey stripes, cotton grey trousers, sandals and was sporting French beard. According to police, the sketch gives 80 percent resemblance to the suspect. He had a bandage on his left arm. Police said that the man could have shaved off his French beard or grown a moustache. Therefore, they have released three different versions of the sketches.

     Meanwhile, UP Police accompanied the Special Cell from Delhi, which conducted night-long raids at these places. Based on the recovery of two SIM cards from the blast site, the police searched the areas from where anonymous phone calls were made. The Police are trying to find out that apart from Delhi where all the SIM cards were used. The raids will continue today although the number of people detained or whether people have been held at all is not confirmed. According to reports, the local Intelligence unit of UP Police had prior information of the Delhi explosions. Police also questioned the injured and others, who were at the scene of the explosions to draw up sketches of the suspects. Police were particularly looking for passengers of the bus, who had a lucky escape when the driver threw away a bag containing a bomb, as they may have closely seen the man who had left it behind. Some shopkeepers who had sold bags similar to the ones likely to have been used by the militants contacted police today who were sifting through the information, the official said. Police had yesterday displayed similar bags and appealed to those who may have sold these to suspicious persons to come forward. At the hospitals where the injured were being treated, it continued to be an agonising vigil for relatives. Though the government had promised that treatment for those injured in Saturday`s serial blasts here would be free, some relatives claimed that they were being charged for medicines and other amenities. Meanwhile, most of the charred bodies had been claimed and DNA tests would soon start on those, which were disputed, hospital authorities said.