Bomb planter Imtiaz's room was a bomb-making lab

A Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) - the students' wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind - calendar found at the Ranchi house of Mohammad Imtiaz Ansari, 28, had certain dates marked with different types of arms, like carbine or AK-47, written under them, say investigators. Rajesh Ahuja reports.

A Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) - the students' wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind - calendar found at the Ranchi house of Mohammad Imtiaz Ansari, 28, had certain dates marked with different types of arms, like carbine or AK-47, written under them, say investigators.

Imtiaz was arrested on the charges of planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Sunday in Patna at the time of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's public meeting.

"We are yet to decipher these markings. Many things found in the house have left investigators curious about Imtiaz and what has allegedly led him to the path of jehad. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will look into this now," said SN Pradhan, additional director general of Jharkhand police.

Investiagtors who had spoken to his family said that Imtiaz, a painter by profession and one of the six sons of Mohammad Kamaluddin Ansari, showed hesitation in getting married.

"We suspect that Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu, the alleged current operational head of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, stayed with Imtiaz at his house. We also suspect that Imtiaz had knowledge of the Bodh Gaya blast or even participated in the operation under the Tehseen's leadership," said Pradhan.

Investigators say that in his room, that looked like a laboratory, Imtiaz and his associates carried bomb making exercises. They recovered of a half-made pressure cooker bomb.

"Of late, strangers had started visiting the Ansari household The visible change in his personality came almost two years back when he started taking more interest in religious congregations," said Pradhan.