Even as the CBI on Monday started fresh investigations into the May 18 blast at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, the Special Investigating Cell (SIC) of Hyderabad Police, set up to probe the blast, made a major breakthrough when one of the arrested accused “confessed” that he had brought the explosives used in the blast.

Shoheb Jagirdar (38), a resident of Jalna in Maharashtra, told his interrogators that he had delivered the explosives to Hyderabad which were later used in the blast at the mosque killing nine persons and wounding 53 others.

According to sources in the SIC, Jagirdar had on May 29 confessed during sustained questioning that he had delivered the "bag full" of explosives in February this year to the city. He, however, did not reveal the identity of the person to whom he had delivered the explosives to and told his interrogators that he had never seen him before. Jagirdar, a former member of the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in Jalna, was functioning at the behest of Nayeem, suspect investigators. But Deputy Inspector General of Police (SIC) Harishkumar Gupta refused to comment as the case has now been handed over to the CBI.

Sources said though Jagirdar had confessed to having delivered the explosives, they could not book him in the case as investigations were still in progress to gather evidence in this regard. "We cannot book anybody in a case based on his confession. We were in the process of gathering further evidence when the case got transferred," said a senior SIC officer. Officers of the SIC, who investigated Jagirdar's involvement, said more than ideological reasons, he had got involved in the conspiracy because of money.

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