Investigators still groping for answers

Ten days after joint teams of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the crime branch of Mumbai police began their probe into the triple bomb explosions, little headway seems to have been made.

Ten days after joint teams of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the crime branch of Mumbai police began their probe into the triple bomb explosions, little headway seems to have been made.

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Members of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) who have been arrested recently, are being grilled, but the interrogation of Danish Riyaz has not yielded anything substantial. Likewise, attempts to extract information from Dr Farhan alias Abu Faisal, too, has come to a naught. "We hope we get Manzar, a resident of Ranchi who had trained with Riyaz in the forests of Kerala. He could be one of the brains behind these blasts," said an investigator.

Three days after the blast, ATS chief Rakesh Maria had announced that the sketch of a suspect is being prepared. However, a final sketch is yet to be decided on. "As of now, we have two faces, but we don't have a final sketch," an officer revealed.

In addition, investigators are yet to locate the battery or the timer. Forensic reports on the composition of the bomb, too, are awaited. "It will either take a miracle or a stroke of luck for us to get the bombers so soon," remarked an officer. He also pointed out that the German Bakery blast case took over six months to crack.

Another officer conceded that the custodial death of Faiz Usmani, brother of jailed IM operative Faisal, has been a major setback. "We were questioning those who visit the IM operatives in jail," the officer said. "But the incident has now put us on the back-foot."