Click to play videoNew Delhi: Two days after 17 low-intensity blasts ripped through Ahmedabad, police late on Sunday arrested an activist of the banned SIMI.
Abdul Halim, who is also believed to be a member of Ahl-e-Hadees, was arrested in Dani Limda, Ahmedabad.
Police traced a phone call and focussed on eyewitness accounts, which led to Abdul Halim's arrest. He will be produced in metropolitan court at 1100 hrs on Monday.
Ahmedabad Joint Commissioner of Police Ashish Bhatia told CNN-IBN that the police hopes that Haleem's arrest could provide them with crucial leads in the serial bombings case.
"His arrest could well be the first one in the series of more arrest likely to happen in connection with the serial blast," he said. "Of the 30 people who have been rounded up, the police is now concentrating on a couple of cycle shop owners and cycle distributors."
"There were reports that he was hiding in Delhi and we had intimated Delhi Police as well. After receiving some specific inputs about his whereabouts, the crime branch arrested him during a combing operation," Ahmedabad Joint Commissioner of Police Ashish Bhatia said.
Bhatia confirmed Halim was arrested in connection with Saturday's blasts in Ahmedabad that claimed 49 lives.
Halim was wanted by the police for enticing disgruntled youths from the riot victims' refugee camps in and around Ahmedabad and taking them to Uttar Pradesh.
"From there an organised network was engaged in sending these youths across the border for training purpose and Halim was a part of this network. Currently he is being interrogated," said Bhatia.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will visit Ahmedabad on Monday to take stock of the situation there. They are likely to visit hospitals where the injured are undergoing treatment.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil is also expected to accompany them on their visit before they return to the Capital later in the day.
The streak of terror isn't over yet as Ahmedabad police, in an all-night search and raid operation on Sunday, defused three live bombs, recovered two cars with bomb-making material in Surat, and rounded up 30 people for questioning. Police are also preparing sketches of the suspects based on eyewitness accounts.
Police are also tracking leads provided by the threat e-mail sent by the Indian Mujahideen as well as an anonymous call received by a resident of Amreli on his mobile phone.
A high alert has been declared in the country following the blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
Eight bomb blasts went off in Bangalore on Friday, killing one woman, while Ahmedabad was hit the next day with 16 blasts killing at least 49 people and injuring many.
(With PTI inputs)
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