Maharashtra ATS claims "solid leads" in Mum blast probe

Mumbai, Jul 17: With the Maharashtra ATS close on the heels of the Mumbai blast perpetrators, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Rakesh Maria has claimed to have found “solid leads" in the case. He also said that the suspect's sketch will be released soon.

Maria also added that this was possible due to the inputs provided by one of the witness present in one of the blast sites. He refused to divulge the identity of the witness or where he was present.

The Mumbai serial blast at Dadar, Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House was a terrorist attack with no group claiming responsibility yet. With the ATS chief not ruling out any angle, Maria also said that he was looking into the underworld's role in the blast. The death toll till now is 19 at present.

Maria also stated that the role of a suicide bomber is ruled out and with the CCTV images believed to hold vital clues Maria said that they were being examined frame by frame. He said, “We do have a photograph at one of the locations through the CCTV, which needs more verification and investigation. Our teams are on the job to know who that individual is."

With as many as 12 teams probing into different facets of the case, he sounded determined to be “able to do justice with the investigation". He however added that the CCTV images were grainy and was being improved by experts and stated, “The image enhancing may take 24-48 hours to have a clearer image of that individual."

Maria said that police forces from different states of Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were co-operating with the probe to nail the culprits behind the terror attack. He refused to pinpoint any particular group responsible for the blasts.

OneIndia News