Pune blast: ATS investigation has gone wrong, admits police chief

Maharashtra's police chief D Sivanandhan today said the investigation of the German Bakery blast by the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) had gone wrong.

“The ATS should carry out proper investigation of the case based on absolute scientific evidence,” the director general of police said.

Sivanandhan was speaking to reporters in Pune on the sidelines of the inaugural function of an induction course for officers of the criminal investigation department (CID) at the Police Research Centre, Pashan.

Replying to a query on the investigation, Sivanandhan said, "Pehli galti [first mistake] was [failing to prevent] the terror attack and doosri galti [second mistake] is the wrong investigation.

"I will say that the ATS has to study the case properly based on solid evidence and then decide on arrests," he said.

Sivanandhan added that the investigation is being carried out by the ATS and other agencies are assisting it.

"Cases like the German Bakery blast take time to be solved," he said. "Such cases cannot be investigated in a time-bound manner. But we are confident that it will be solved."

A massive bomb blast ripped through the popular bakery near the Osho Ashram in Pune's Koregaon Park area on February 14, killing 17 people and injuring more than 100.

The bakery is located diagonally opposite the Jewish Chabad House, which was reconnoitred by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist David Coleman Headley, who is now serving a prison term in the United States.