Pune blast suspect walks free,DGP admits probe went wrong

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squads possible suspect in the Pune German Bakery blast case,Abdul Samad Mohammed Zarar....

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squads possible suspect in the Pune German Bakery blast case,Abdul Samad Mohammed Zarar,was granted bail by a Mumbai court today after the investigating team failed to produce any evidence against him in an arms case dating back to 2009.

Though the ATS did not name Samad as an accused in the Pune blast case,the Home Ministry had issued a statement calling him a suspect.

DGP D Sivanandan admitted in Pune that the investigations had gone wrong.

Pehli galti (first mistake) was the terror attack at the bakery and doosri galti (second attack) was the wrong investigation, he said when asked about the probe.

The ATS has to study the case properly based on solid and absolute scientific evidence and then decide on the arrests, he said.

Sources in the ATS admitted that a near similar face and body profile that matched with the image in the CCTV footage was what led to his arrest. They now believe that it could be his brother Ahmed Mohammed Zarar Siddibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal.

Samad was detained by the ATS on May 25 from Mangalore airport when he was returning from Dubai.

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Although he was charged with supplying arms to three Pune suspect walks free,DGP admits probe went wrong persons arrested from south Mumbai in August,2009,he was being probed as a suspect in the Pune blast and a statement by the Home Ministry,too,said so. The ATS took a complete U-turn. There isnt even a speck of truth in the case ATS has built against him, said his lawyer Mubin Solkar.

Officials assert that though Samads elder brother Ahmed (Yasin Bhatkal) is not the only suspect,he played a prominent role along with two others in the conspiracy and blast that did not leave many clues.

A broken circuit,believed to be from the phone used to trigger the blast,was found at the site and the investigators believe the explosion was timed on an alarm set in the phone. The only other clue is the CCTV footage from the camera above the cashiers counter which showed the image of a youth with a rucksack and a face which was until now believed to be Abdul Samads.

A senior police officer said,The brothers do look identical and his profile did show initial similarities when matched with the CCTV footage. Now,its back to Yasin Bhatkal.

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The family had maintained that Samad was busy with preparations for a cousins wedding and provided the ATS with details of his movements from February 13,the day of the blast,to February 16 when he was with his uncle Yakub Shamsuddin. For us,its pure justice. We are very happy. We cant comment on anyone else,but Abdul Samad is not guilty in any case, said Yakub.