Samjhauta blasts: Cops swing into action, trace call

NEW DELHI: Even as the Haryana police on Tuesday released the sketches of two suspects in the Samjhauta train attack, the intelligence agencies have started scanning intercepts of conversations made between terrorists across the border and their handlers here just before the blasts.

While one of the intercepts relates to a conversation between two LeT commanders, made in the course of a phone call from a mobile number in New Delhi, regarding execution of some plan, another involves a direction from a commander that a terrorist would reach New Delhi from Pakistan.

The leads, passed on by the J&K police, are likely to be used for investigations into the midnight terror attack on the Samjhauta Express that left more than 66 people dead. On its part, the Haryana police, which has drawn up the sketches based on eyewitnesses’ account gathered from passengers aboard the ill-fated train, said the two suspects had alighted from the train just before the highly-inflammable explosives went off, triggering a major fire in two of the bogies. They, the eyewitnesses said, had at one point had an altercation with the RPF personnel aboard the train as it slowed down ahead of Deewana.

The first person, according to the police, was wheatish and had a moustache, wore a shirt and a jacket, and was around 35-36 years old. The second suspect, also of wheatish complexion and believed to be around 26-27 years of age, was wearing a muffler. Both of them spoke Hindi, the police added. The Haryana police has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone providing vital clues about the suspects.

Meanwhile, the railways on Tuesday cracked the whip on errant staffers as it suspended three ticketing officials at the Old Delhi railway station for irregularities committed while issuing tickets to passengers of the Samjhauta Express.

With the Samjhauta attack being attributed to security lapse on part of the railways in screening passenger baggage, the MHA and the railway ministry have now decided to expedite the installation of additional security systems for train services to Pakistan. Among the measures that the MHA is discussing with the railway ministry is the introduction of baggage screening for passengers boarding these key trains.

Besides, the whole security set-ups at major railway stations, particularly those in Delhi, may be up for a revamp with the MHA proposing installations of CCTVs to monitor passenger movement, possible deployment of commandos, on the lines of flight sky marshals, on key trains as well as using sniffer dogs to detect bombs/explosives in passenger baggage.

Discussions on funding the acquisition of additional security gadgets and systems are on between the Union home secretary and Railway Board chairman, and a final view may be taken soon at a meeting between Union home minister Shivraj Patil and railway minister Laloo Prasad.