Prime suspect in Patna blasts dead, another sent to police custody

PATNA: A prime suspect in Patna serial blasts succumbed to head injuries at a hospital here while another accused was today remanded to seven-day police custody.

Ainul alias Tarique, who was on life support system, died late last night at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences hospital here, hospital Director Arun Kumar Singh said.

"He had splinters, suspectedly hard iron pieces, in his brain and it was not possible to operate on him in that condition," he said.

Ainul was caught while he was running away from a toilet at platform number 10 of Patna railway junction after the first bomb exploded there a few hours before the rally of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at Gandhi Maidan on October 27.

Some telephone numbers and documents were recovered from the suspect, police said.

Six people were killed in the serial blasts which left more than 80 injured.

In a related development, Tabish Nyaz alias Arshad Ansari was today remanded to police custody for seven days by a district court.

Accepting plea of the Patna police, Judicial Magistrate Prabal Dutta granted seven-day police custody of Nyaz for questioning on the blasts.

Nyaz, an associate of Indian Mujahideen operative and serial blasts' accused Imtiyaz Ansari, was formally arrested on October 30 after being initially detained for questioning.

He was picked up by the police on October 29 from Alaula village in East Champaran district.

A day later, he had been sent to 14 day judicial custody by the same court.

Nyaz was among three arrested for the multiple explosions. The two others arrested were Imtiaz Ansari and Ainul.