Explosive ties Bengaluru blast to Bhatkal kin

Raja Gel-90 — the substance used to cause Wednesday’s blast in Bengaluru — has provided a vital key in the investigation. And the needle of suspicion points towards the Indian Mujahideen and the Bhatkal brothers.

Raja Gel-90 — the substance used to cause Wednesday’s blast in Bengaluru — has provided a vital key in the investigation. And the needle of suspicion points towards the Indian Mujahideen and the Bhatkal brothers.

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Exactly three years ago, Raja Gel-90 –brand name for an ammonium nitrate-based gel – was used to cause the blast at the city’s Chinnaswamy stadium, said an officer with the Internal Security Division. It was also used to cause blasts in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Varanasi.

Riyaz Bhatkal, the LeT operative in India who is also the founder of the Indian Mujahideen, was allegedly behind the blasts. In 2008, packages of Raja Gel-90 were recovered from his rented accommodation in Mangalore. Investigations revealed that Riyaz had supplied the explosive for the blasts in the three cities.

The Tamil Nadu police are, meanwhile,questioning two motorcycle brokers in Vellore to trace the buyers of the bike in which the bomb was hidden. Another person is also being questioned at Kancheepuram, said a police officer.