Cops claim they have bus bomber

The Delhi Police have in their custody one of the bombers involved in the Oct 29 blasts, writes Tushar Srivastava.

The Delhi Police have in their custody one of the bombers involved in the October 29 blasts.

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The police say the suspect, Mohammed Rafiq Shah, 23, placed the bomb in the DTC bus in Govindpuri area of south Delhi. He is said to have been very close to Tariq Ahmed Dar, the chief conspirator in the blasts who is already in police custody.

Shah is doing his masters from SP College, Srinagar. A special cell team arrested Shah on November 22 from the university area in Srinagar. But the police kept his role in the blasts a closely guarded secret — till now. "He's an Indian, born and brought up in Kashmir," said a source.

Investigators described Shah as a hardcore Lashkar-e-Toiba operative. Sources said he has been a frequent visitor to Pakistan where he met Lashkar commanders Abu Huzefa and Abu Al Qama.

They added that Shah had visited Delhi many times and had met Dar when the latter was in Delhi from October 4 to 6. ``The bombers, who got the RDX with them, arrived in Delhi by road and left the capital on October 29 itself," said the source.