Meanwhile, police sent messages to all traders’ associations informing them that curfew timings were till 6 p.m. and that their motive was not to house arrest them. The six main spots where the blasts took place are of great commercial importance — Tripolia Gate is famous for its bangle shops; tourists throng to Manak Chowk to visit its showrooms of clothing, shoes and antiques; Johri Bazaar is a hub for jewel traders; Chandpol is home to the usually crowded Hanuman temple and Sanghmeri Gate leads out to the central park which has many food outlets. This whole 5-sq km area usually sees a crowd of around 5 to 7 lakh people on a weekday and up to 10 lakh on weekend. But on Wednesday it was silent.