• 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.”

... contd.