At least three Maruti 800 cars loaded with ammonium nitrate, plasticizers, and programmable timer devices (PTDs) were used in Thursday’s serial bomb blasts
Three persons have been arrested in connection with Thursday’s blasts
GUWAHATI: At least three Maruti 800 cars loaded with ammonium nitrate, plasticizers, and programmable timer devices (PTDs) were used in Thursday’s serial bomb blasts in Guwahati.
Disclosing this on Saturday, inspector-general of police Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta said three persons had been arrested in connection with the blasts.
Among those arrested is Nazir Ahmed, from whose cell phone an SMS claiming responsibility for the blast on behalf of the Islamic Security Force (Indian Mujahideen) was sent. The ISF (IM) was set up in 2000 mainly to thwart attacks by Bodo tribesmen on Muslim settlers, police said.
The bomb-laden cars were parked at Fancy Bazaar, Pan Bazaar, and Ganeshguri in Guwahati, while a motorbike was used to carry out the blast in Bongaigaon, Mahanta said.
The car used in the Pan Bazaar blast was badly damaged and the last two digits of the chassis number were missing, Mahanta said. The car used in the Ganeshguri blast was traced to Itanagar. Two PTD switches were found in Ganeshguri. The owner of the car (AS01 0327) used in the Fancy Bazaar blast, Tikendra Saikia from Nagaon, was arrested.
Police in Itanagar said the car used in the Ganeshguri blast was sold by a distributor at Naharlagoon in the Arunachal capital to a bank official in New Delhi in 1996. The official paid for the white car by cheque, they said.
Meanwhile, a day’s general strike was called in the state by the BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal to protest against the blasts. Protesters torched vehicles, blocked railway tracks and roads, and burnt effigies during the strike. All markets, shops, offices and educational institutions remained closed. Public and private vehicles stayed off the roads. Hundreds of protesters were rounded up for attempting to block railway tracks and national highways.
The All-Assam Students’ Union has also called for a 24-hour statewide bandh on Monday on the same issue.
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