Mumbai: Ehtesham Siddiqui, general secretary of the Maharashtra unit of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, who is accused of planting the bomb that exploded as the train approached Mira Road station, had told a friend on the day of the blasts to send an e-mail to a Hindi news channel informing them that bombs would be the retaliation to the police firing at Bhiwandi where two Muslims were killed.
On July 3, police had opened fire in Bhiwandi, a town 50 km from Mumbai, after a mob opposing the construction of a police station at a site they claimed reserved for a burial ground turned violent.
The police discount this as being the reason. According to them, Ehtesham was blindly doing the bidding of his masters in Pakistan. He was not told of the reason behind targeting Mumbai’s trains.
A resident of Mira Road, Ehtesham, a small-time publisher of Islamic literature, revealed this during interrogation. He said that on the morning of July 11, he met a friend in Mira Road.
Ehtesham told this friend that the retaliation for the death of two persons killed on July 5 at Bhiwandi would be taken in Mumbai. He also told his friend to send an e-mail to a Hindi news channel giving this information. The identity of Ehtesham’s friend has not been revealed. However, the friend did not take it seriously and went home.
Ehtesham (30), a short, mildmannered man, went home after planting the bomb, took a shower and went back to the site of the Mira Road blast with a friend. However, the police had cordoned off the site and Ehtesham returned home to Saifya Manzil at Naya Nagar to watch the news on TV.
Ehtesham’s friend, who had taken his instruction to e-mail the news channel lightly, was shocked when he heard about the blasts. He asked Ehtesham if he knew about the blasts but the latter merely smiled and walked away.
Ehtesham in his statement said Faisal had promised him Rs 5 lakh for planting the bomb. “Faisal told me he would pay Rs 1 lakh on the day of the blast and Rs 4 lakh the next week. Before boarding the train to plant the bombs, Faisal told me we would meet in heaven (if we died). If not, he would pay me the promised sum,’’ Ehtesham told police.
Ehtesham, who is said to be an operative of militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, was offered terror training by Faisal whom the police term LeT’s western India commander. But, Ehtesham turned down the offer saying his organisation would send him for training. Ehtesham in his statement told the police that this module had fixed the blasts date on July 5.
“Ehtesham confessed he was aware about the terror plot and even arranged the accommodation of Pakistanis at Mumbra. But he has not confessed that he planted the bomb,’’ said police.
The Times of India, October 2, 2006
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