16 teams set out to probe attack

The state government has set up 16 teams of investigating officials to probe several aspects of the attack on the Akshardham temple that will fan out across the state to investigate every detail of the attack.

Meanwhile, sources said top officials of the state Intelligence Bureau have reached New Delhi to discuss details of the probe with central intelligence and security agencies such as the CBI and others.

Meanwhile, photographs of the two terrorists, killed at Akshardham, have been sent to all director-generals of police of all states and they have been requested to send any information available about them, DGP K. Chakaravarti informed. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the duo had arrived in the city by train and detailed scrutiny is being done to get a lead on the train by which the duo arrived.

Meanwhile, special IG of the anti-terrorist squad Vipul Vijoy said several theories to look for the origin of the attack are being investigated by officials. The special IG further said that hotels and guesthouses near the Kalupur railway station are being visited, considering that the two might have arrived earlier than Tuesday and taken refuge in one of them. Intelligence reports that the two may be from Pakistan, giving credence to theory of ISI involvement, are also being probed. Telephone booths in the Kalupur area are also being searched to look for clues of phone calls made across the state. Sources further said the taxi driver, who took them to the temple from the railway station, had refused to put the heavy luggage in car's rear compartment and that the car had made a stop at the petrol pump at Coba circle for refuel. Moreover, the driver is also believed to have confided that while he had spoken in Gujarati the duo had replied in Hindi. However, the terrorists could have been conversant with Gujarati. Investigations are also being conducted to probe from where exactly the AK-47s used in the operations may have arrived from.

Republished from The Asian Age