Patna blasts mastermind perfected bomb-making in Chikmagalur
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BANGALORE: Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu, the Indian Mujahideen operative who allegedly masterminded Sunday's Patna serial blasts, is suspected to have been trained in bomb-making by Yasin Bhatkal, the IM co-founder who is currently in custody.
IM member Imtiaz Ansari, another suspect arrested for the Patna blasts, has told interrogators that Yasin anointed Tehsin as his successor after his "satisfactory" performance, according to police sources.
"Tehsin hails from Bihar's Maniyarpur village. He met Yasin and Riyaz Bhatkal at a madrasa there in 2005. In the beginning, Tehsin took care of the IM founder-leaders by arranging their shelter, transport and other daily needs. Impressed by his dedication and commitment, Yasin asked him to join them," a source said.
Tehsin later became a vital operative who identified places in northern India as potential blast sites.
'Target the South'
Yasin Bhatkal is believed to have told Tehsin that southern states should be targeted with bigger explosions. "That's why Tehsin started visiting Mangalore and stayed there for sometime, and also Koppa in Chikmagalur district. It was in Koppa where he and others experimented with a few explosives," said the source. He used explosive material commonly available in neighbourhood markets.
"In early 2012, Tehsin used a local booth near Koppa bus stand to make calls to a mobile phone in Bangalore. That number is now defunct," the source said.
On the day Delhi police arrested Yasin, Tehsin was in Mangalore. "Soon after electronic channels aired the news of Yasin's arrest, Tehsin fled leaving behind explosive material which were recovered by sleuths of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) later," said a police office.
During March-April this year, Tehsin frequently shuttled between Mangalore and Bhatkal town. "We believe Tehsin was all alone in the flat during those months and he visited Bhatkal by a private bus. We have recovered a few private bus tickets from the flat," said a source.
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