• Mohammed Mansur Asgar Peerbhoy, the 31-year-old who worked as principal software architect with a multinational company and drew an annual salary of Rs 19 lakh, has been accused of sending terror mails. He was allegedly part of the group under Riyaz Bhatkal who remains at large.

“I have a BE in Computer Science from Pune. One of my friends took me to a religious meeting and that was where I first saw Bhatkal. He acted as the Mufti and talked to us about Islam. Gradually, while attending more of these meetings, we came into direct contact with him. Soon, when we would not turn up at these meetings, he would call us and force us to be there. We got close to Bhatkal, he would weep before us, scream that innocent Muslim brothers were murdered in the 2002 Gujarat riots. He would indoctrinate us in a way that there was little left in life to hope for, that someone had snatched everything from us. I never realised he was blackmailing me emotionally. We soon stopped thinking, simply working according to his instructions,” Peerbhoy said.

• Mobin Shaikh (24) is a BSc in Computer Science and resident of Pune. He said he and his friends attended religious meetings. “Our parents used to get angry when we returned home late from the meetings. It is shocking when we look back at what we had done. Islam does not allow taking any innocent’s life or hurting anybody... Bhatkal was a very good orator, an expert in brainwashing. We acted on his instructions. At that time, I never thought what would happen to us,” Shaikh said.

• Asif Bashiruddin Shaikh (23), also from Pune, is a BE in mechanical engineering. He worked with a private company “drawing a handsome pay”. Asif said: “We have done something for which the Almighty can only send us to hell. I just want that Riyaz Bhatkal gets the punishment he deserves.” If we come across him, we will kill him. We were the bread winners of our families, we had a future, we were all living our lives happily before we came in contact with him. After a certain stage, there was no way we could think of backing out... he threatened to kill us, forced us to do the work he wanted us to do. My job was to deliver integrated circuits for the bombs, from Mumbai to a group in Bharuch.”

• Anik Saiyed (24) worked as a data entry operator in a multinational software company in Pune. He said he was in the team that planted the bombs in Surat. Asked why they had planted bombs even atop a tree in Surat, Anik said: “We hung the bombs in an inverted direction, on a tree near the municipal garden in Kapodara. There was a paan stall near the tree. The idea was that when the bomb explodes, it would hit people who usually crowd the paan shop. We also planted bombs on hoardings at the flyover, bus stops in Varachha, Athwalines in Mahidharpura. All these were crowded locations, we were sure nobody would spot the bombs.”

• Fazle Rehman alias Rafik Durani (23) worked as a sales manager in a multinational company in Pune when he was drawn into the group. “I went to different places in a car to pick up my brothers after they planted the bombs in different parts of Surat. I was given the job of driving the car. We made the bombs in the house of Sajid Mansuri in Bharuch, then brought them to Surat.”

• Taveer Pathan (23) is a resident of Surat. He worked in a refrigeration shop at Varachha and would service and repair air-conditioners in Surat malls. “After coming in contact with Sajid through one Ashfaq, I got into the group. I later came in touch with Qayamuddin Kapadia. I was assigned to spot crowded places to carry out the blasts. I am familiar with Varachha, so I showed them locations,” he said.