The Uttar Pradesh government is all set to send the case file containing the STF’s investigation into the Varanasi blast case to the Union Home Ministry, requesting the latter to take up the issue of the arrest of three Bangladeshi terrorists, believed to have triggered the blasts, at the diplomatic level.

‘‘We are in possession of the addresses of the three Bangladeshi terrorists—Bashiruddin alias Bashir, Mustafeez and Zakaria. Now, progress in the case depends on the government’s success in extraditing the three from Bangladesh,’’ said a STF source, adding, ‘‘it is difficult to take the investigation ahead from the Phoolpur railway station from where the three youths broke their relation with blast mastermind Waliullah’’. However, STF SSP S K Bhagat refused to talk about the STF’s plans to arrest the Bangladeshi trio. ‘‘It is not possible for us to disclose every step we undertake,’’ he told The Indian Express over phone.

Sources said the STF would apprise the government about the interrogation of the six terrorists presented before the media yesterday. ‘‘They have brought to light Huji’s attempts to develop modules in 24 Parganas, Murshidabad areas of West Bengal. One of the terrorists disclosed the role of one Sattar, who has been tasked by Huji chief Asadullah to expand its base in West Bengal,’’ an STF source said.

A stumbling block for the progress of the investigations has been the STF’s failure to extract information about the three Bangladeshi terrorists’ source of explosive materials. However, SSP Bhagat confirmed the sketches of the two suspects had tallied with the description of the two Bangladeshi terrorists.

... contd.