In what would be a shocking turn of events for the investigating agencies, a survivor of the twin blasts in Hyderabad has become the prime suspect in the past 24 hours, reported Hindustan Times.
Abdul Wasif Mirza, who lost his left leg in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast and was injured in Thursday's twin blasts at Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, has been suspected of carrying out the attacks and a police team arrived at Yashoda Hospital to question him on Friday evening, reported the paper.
The death toll of the Thursday's twin blasts at Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad rose to 16 after two more people succumbed to injuries. 119 people were injured from the blasts.
The police are suspecting Abdul Wasif Mirza because he survived at both 2007 Mecca Masjid blast and Thursday's twin blasts at Dilsukhnagar. Moreover, he told a television channel that he came from his locality Kalapathar to Dilsukhnagar for a cup of tea, though the places are 7 km apart, reported Hindustan Times.
"We can't rule out anything. He might be part of them or might have helped them," the paper quoted one official as saying.
Mirza in being treated Yashoda Hospital for back and abdomen injuries.
The police have also reportedly picked up six persons for questioning in connection with the twin blasts.
It was earlier reported by Zee News that Indian Mujahideen founder Riyaz Bhatkal, who is holed up in Pakistan, might have masterminded the Hyderabad twin blasts with the help of IM operative Yasin Bhatkal.
Speculations are also doing the rounds that the blasts were executed to avenge the death of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde arrived in Hyderabad on Friday morning and visited the blast sites along with Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumr Reddy, APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana, state Home Minister P. Sabitha Reddy, and officials from the State Police and NIA.
Shinde, who also visited the injured at CARE Hospital, told reporters that the culprits will be caught soon but chose not to blame any outfit, including the speculated Indian Mujahideen, for the barbaric attacks.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had earlier condemned the bomb blasts saying, "This is a dastardly attack, the guilty will not go unpunished." He appealed to the people of Hyderabad to remain calm.
The prime minister has also sanctioned ex-gratia from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the tune of ₹2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased persons and ₹50,000 each to those seriously injured in bomb blasts.
