Hyderabad twin bomb blasts: Bomb landed 8 days prior to blast, wrapped in cellotape

Hyderabad: With just a mobile phone having one contact number and Rs 6,000 in cash, a Class X failed Mohammed Akbar Ismail Choudhary reached Hyderabad following the orders of Riyaz Bhatkal, the founder of Indian Mujahideen, to carry out the attacks.

Ismail Choudhary, a school dropout from Pune, was the second among four sons. He was a marketing agent there before he took up fabrication work until he met Riyaz Bhatkal in 2005. He was just 26 years when he took the path to terrorism by following the footsteps of Riyaz.

Ismail’s brother Mohsin Choudhary and Riyaz Bhatkal’s brother Iqbal Bhatkal were friends, and they all became friends in early 2005. Riyaz claiming to be a civil engineer by profession, told Ismail that he wanted to join a course.

In mid-2005, Riyaz took Ismail to his native Bhatkal in Karnataka for a week. He was then introduced to various people including one Sultan. Riyaz went to Mumbai to enroll at the course.

In fact, three visits to Bhatkal changed the life of Ismail, who were teaching Arabic at Azam Campus in Pune. Ismail and Anique met through mutual friends and he joined Arabic classes under Anique, who was by then already teaching the language. After this, he was introduced to several strangers at the Arabic classes.

Riyaz’s return from Mumbai after three years had a big impact on the lives of Anique and Ismail. Riyaz started talking about Jihad and took them again to Bhatkal twice and this time, Sultan brainwashed them about Jihad.

Ismail reportedly told investigators that by 2007, they all formed a group. In May 2007, he and Anique were taken to Bengaluru, where they were trained in firing and making bombs.

The most intriguing part of the plot is that the parcel was not opened for eight days. In June 2007, Riyaz reportedly asked Anique to visit Hyderabad and take up a house under fictitious names. Ismail’s arrival in the city followed. “Riyaz gave '6,000 and a mobile phone which had only one phone number, that was of Anique and asked me to leave to Hyderabad from Pune, and also asked me to join a computer course,” Ismail reportedly told the investigators.

Riyaz who visited the city about 15 days before the blasts, conducted a recce along with Anique and Ismail. The second day, he left to Pune and sent a parcel after three days, that is 12 days before the blasts. He also asked his mates to not open the parcel until his next order.

It was only four days before the blasts were carried out that the parcel was opened in which the explosives were present. They were then assembled by Riyaz and were planted according to their plan, that claimed the lives of 45 people in two explosions at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat.