Police had quizzed Pune blast suspect over Hyderabad recce

The Andhra Pradesh Police had interrogated Syed Maqbool, 37, after he allegedly told the Delhi Police, who arrested him in October for his alleged role in the August 1, 2012 Pune bombing, that he had reconnoitered Dilsukhnagar, Begum Bazar and Abids in Hyderabad.

Maqbool, described by the Delhi Police as an "IED trainer", came in contact with Indian Mujahideen while he was serving a life term for murder in a prison in Nanded, Maharashtra, in 2007, officials claimed. IM is suspected to be involved in Thursday's blasts in Hyderabad.

Maqbool walked free in 2009 after his sentence was commuted and set up a juice shop in Hyderabad.

He, however, suffered losses and in April 2011 returned to Nanded, where he met Imran Khan, 31.

Two and a half years later, Maqbool and the two men he had allegedly trained to bomb Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi and Bodhgaya — Imran and Asad — were arrested for planting an IED, which did not explode, in Pune on August 1, 2012, the police said. Maqbool is now in Tihar Jail, an accused in four bombing cases.

"Maqbool has so far given training to only Imran and Asad. Bombs they planted on bicycles in Pune failed to go off due to moisture in the explosives. They also planned to bomb Hyderabad, Delhi and Bodhgaya in Bihar before which they were arrested," a senior official claimed.

The alleged bombers even demonstrated to the police how to make an IED, the official claimed.

"They said they had received training from Maqbool and attained precision in 2-3 days. They had placed the bombs on a bicycle to avoid suspicion and to cause maximum damage," the official added. The Pune bombs contained urea and ammonium nitrate and were placed in a boat-shaped container.

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