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As the Central Bureau of Investigation continues to join the dots on the Ajmer, Pune Goa and Mecca Masjid blasts cases, the probe so far has revealed that a very strong local network of Hindu right-wing groups in Hyderabad and Pune may have carried out these attacks.
The Pune module of these groups has been functional for the past ten years and they have been carrying out small-time disruptive activities. They announced their arrival with the Nanded blast in April 2006.
The CBI has been questioning various persons in connection with these cases, but they have picked up two men (Devendra and Chandrashekar) who have been saying a lot in custody. They are allegedly members of the Sanathan Sanstha, but the organisation has distanced itself from them terming them as fringe elements.
Investigators are keen to find out local links in each case as without them none of these blasts would have been possible. Investigators have found that both the Ajmer and the Mecca Masjid blasts are identical. They believe that a strong local base in Hyderabad helped carry out both these blasts.
The materials used in both cases were procured from the same source. Moreover, the bombs have been assembled by the same module, which is based in Pune. Sources told rediff.com that each blast cost nearly Rs 1.5 lakh and all the money was collected from the local modules both in Pune and Hyderabad.
A small outfit in Hyderabad which the CBI does not want to name at this point started off three years back with 50 men. Today their strength has grown to almost 2,000 and they are extremely aggressive. They conduct camps and collect money during festivals and investigators feel that a large part of this money may have been diverted for these bomb blasts.
The role of this organisation has come in for thorough scrutiny and some members are being questioned. The investigators also don't rule out support from local political leaders.
Sources say that these groups have intentionally divided themselves into smaller organisations but they have a very strong network. They have been carefully bifurcated to carry out specific jobs. Investigators say that these groups are headquartered in Pune and have their strongest networks in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. While the Pune module has always been involved in the planning, it is the other two modules which have helped in the execution, investigators point out.
However, investigators have not been able to find out is the link between the module run by Malegaon blast accused Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Purohit and the modules which carried out the Ajmer, Mecca Masjid, Goa and Pune blasts. "We believe that these two modules worked on these cases separately. It could well be a ploy to stay separate so that when one module is busted the other keeps going," a source told rediff.com.