Police round up 285 in Mahim raid

The detainees have been rounded up in an early morning swoop.

The Mumbai police rounded up 285 people on Saturday morning for questioning in connection with the July 11 serial train blasts. It later detained 11 of them for further probe.

HT Image

"Some 285 people were rounded up from Mahim area in central Mumbai in an early morning search operation," said a police official.

"We have detained 11 of the 285 people," he said.

"The combing and search operations were launched at 4 am in the Mahim area following reports that the area is frequented by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Nearly a dozen wanted criminals and history-sheeters (those with criminal records) also landed in our net during the raids," he said.

"Combing and search operations were conducted following orders from the Mumbai police top bass to conduct independent investigations and raids into Tuesday's blasts."

While the wanted criminals and those with a criminal record will be produced at a city court later in the day, the suspects rounded up are being individually interrogated by the Mumbai crime branch and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials, the officer said.

Earlier, various units of the Mumbai police had detained over 200 people, including suspected Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists from different part of the metropolis following Tuesday's terror blasts that killed some 200 people and injured over 700.