Hyderabad, Aug 29 (IANS): Hyderabad police will send a team to Bihar to question Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal in connection with twin bomb blasts here in February this year.
Bhatkal, who was arrested Wednesday night near the border with Nepal, is a key suspect in the Feb 21 blasts at Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad that claimed 18 lives and injured scores.
Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma said Yasin and another suspected terrorist, Asadullah Akhtar, arrested along with him will be questioned by the police team about their involvement.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which along with Hyderabad police is probing the blasts, will also depute a team to Bihar.
"They will be examined and if their involvement is confirmed, they will be brought to Hyderabad for further investigations," the police chief told reporters.
He pointed out that the profiles of the two suspects seen in the CCTV footage before the blasts match with Bhatkal and Akhtar.
The two men were seen reaching the crowded area on bicycles to plant the explosives.
The NIA had announced a reward of Rs.10 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the accused.
Sources said Bhatkal may also be questioned regarding the twin blasts of Aug 25, 2007 at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park, in which 42 people were killed and many others injured.
It was Yasin's brother Riyaz Bhatkal, who allegedly planted the bomb at Gokul Chat. The blast at the popular eatery alone had claimed 32 lives.
Police hope the questioning would help them know further about the role played by Riyaz Bhatkal, who had lured the youth to carry out the blasts to avenge the May 18 blast carried out allegedly by Hindu militant organizations at the historic Mecca Masjid the same year.
A city court in Hyderabad Wednesday framed charges against four accused, all alleged operatives of Indian Mujahideen (IM), in Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park blasts case.
A few relatives of some of the victims of Dilsukhnagar blasts and the locals gathered at the blast site and raised slogans, demanding death penalty for the accused.
Police tightened security in Hyderabad as a precautionary measure in the wake of Bhatkal's arrest. Additional security arrangements were made in sensitive areas, vital installations and crowded public places.