Malegaon accused trained in Pak

The Malegaon blasts killed 38 people

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: SIMI activist Noor-ul-Huda, who was arrested in connection with the Malegaon blasts on Monday, is a high school drop-out, was first arrested by the Malegaon police on October 9 and booked under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was later taken to Bangalore for lie detector and narco analysis tests.

“We received a tip-off about Huda’s involvement in the blasts and he spilled the beans after he was arrested,’’ DGP P S Pasricha said.

Police sources said Huda confessed to planting a dummy bomb on the staircase of the Mohammedia Masjid in central Malegaon on September 12. The ‘bomb’ contained mud and RDX. Later when the police collected samples of mud from the factory of Shabbir Masiullah, where Huda was working, they contained traces of RDX, Pasricha claimed. “We have witnesses and scientific evidence in this case,’’ the DGP said, adding that revealing any more information would hamper investigations.

According to sources, the police are looking for three other persons who parked the bomb-laden cycles and are trying to collect information about those who manufactured the bombs.

According to the police, the blasts conspiracy was hatched eight months ago and the RDX was smuggled into Malegaon by another module. The police said that at least two to three modules were involved in the blasts. Masiullah (34) is allegedly the brain behind the blasts while Huda is said to have carried out his orders.

The bombs that were used in Malegaon were made in Masiullah’s factory. Masiullah is also accused of going to Pakistan for terror training.

“Huda told us that he knew of other planters but not their names. At least half a dozen people are involved in this case and we are collecting evidence against them. Several accused belong to areas outside Malegaon,’’ a police officer said.

When Masiullah’s factory closed after his arrest on August 11, Huda started working in a powerloom unit. He would also report to the police several times a week.

After the 7/11 train bombings in Mumbai, Huda was picked up from Malegaon and detained at the Mumbai crime branch’s Unit VII office between August 4 and August 14. The crime branch released him after it failed to find anything suspicious pertaining to him.

The Times of India, October 31, 2006