How mails got into police inbox

The alleged terror suspects of the Indian Mujahideen did a reconnaissance to choose targets for bomb blasts and identify easily accessible WiFi networks. In April, they surveyed seven places in Mumbai, including Sion, Chembur, Navi Mumbai and the area near CST looking for WiFi networks.

“They decided on five places, including Sanpada, Khalsa College at Matunga, and Chembur,” the officer said.  The contents of e-mails were decided by Riyaz Bhatkal and his brother Iqbal. The e-mails were forwarded to Asif Bashi, who sent them to Mubin Shaikh. Mansoor got the e-mails from Shaikh, the police said. Since Mansoor was good in English and computers, he prepared the final draft of the e-mails a week before the blasts.

“The first e-mail was sent on July 26, the day of the Ahmedabad blasts. It was sent through the WiFi network of Kenneth Haywood in Sanpada. Bhatkal wanted the e-mail to be sent at 6:40pm,” Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor said. On July 26, the quartet left Pune at 9am and traveled to Sanpada in a blue Maruti Esteem car (MH-12-CA-4493), he said. The second e-mail was sent from Khalsa College on August 23. This was to put the investigating agencies off track, said Gafoor.

Bhatkal wanted the third e-mail to be sent at 6.20pm on September 13, immediately after the first bomb exploded in Delhi. This e-mail was sent from Chembur.