Delhi Police hope to crack case soon

New Delhi: Indian police were closing in on several suspects in the New Delhi bombings case on Monday.

Police identified a computer expert and member of a banned Islamic student's group, Abdul Subhan Qureshi, as the chief suspect in Saturday's serial bombings, adding that he was involved in July's bombing in Ahmedabad as well.

"We are close to cracking the case," Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said. "We have picked up some people."

Police said they are also pursuing a man named Qayamuddin, also known as Ashfaque.

On Sunday, a police officer said security agencies had vital clues on Saturday's bombings that killed at least 20 people.

The Delhi Police Special Cell, which battles terrorists, continued to collect forensic evidence at the five bombed sites in Connaught Place, Karol Bagh and Greater Kailash I, keeping them out of bounds for the public.

A senior officer told IANS that Delhi Police was confident it would track down the bombers, who are believed to be from the shadowy terror group Indian Mujahideen.

Investigators believe the attackers had packed the bombs with ammonium nitrate besides sharpnels and ball bearings for maximum impact. But while the bombs killed in Connaught Place and Karol Bagh, no one died in south Delhi's upmarket Greater Kailash-I's M Block Market.

Witness

Police sources said a rag picker boy who had seen two men dump a black polythene bag into a dustbin at Connaught Place, just before it exploded, had been taken to the police headquarters to learn more about the bombers.

A guard at the Regal cinema in the same area who caught a suspect was also being spoken to at the police headquarters.

Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, Tajinder Khanna, presided over a meeting of security agencies including key officers from Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau.

Simultaneously, police teams searched hotels and guest houses in the Walled City and Karol Bagh areas in a desperate hunt for the elusive bombers who some believe could have been from outside Delhi.

"Our suspicion is about SIMI," an officer said, referring to the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India, which has been increasingly linked to terror attacks in Indian cities.

A team of policemen is expected to visit Gujarat to talk to Abu Bashir, who the Gujarat Police arrested after calling him the mastermind of the Ahmedabad blasts in July that killed 56 people.

The day after

The Indian capital was calm on Sunday. The major markets, however, attracted fewer people. Traffic on the city's roads was sparse.

Government officials said security had been beefed up in busy markets, cinema halls, hospitals and Metro stations.

A police source said "seven or eight people" were detained Saturday night.

Aftermath: No Sunday picnic

The usual Sunday picnic crowd was missing and the road was deserted. The Central Park of Connaught Place in the heart of Delhi was not choc-a-bloc with relaxed shoppers and idlers, but shut down, as was the underground Palika Bazar, a day after a blast shook the area.

Policemen and security guards could be seen scouring every inch of the Central Park, looking for any clues to Saturday's blast, which took place a minute after the Barakhamba Road blast of 6.35pm. Five blasts rocked the capital on Saturday evening, leaving at least 20 dead and around 100 injured.

Sunday is usually a closed day for Connaught Place shops, but some remain open. After Saturday's blast, fewer shops were open.

Some people who fled the area, leaving behind motorbikes and scooters in the wake of the blasts, returned yesterday to pick up their vehicles.