Train blast probe inconclusive about target, says Andhra Pradesh top cop

HYDERABAD: The probe into the May 1 twin blasts on board the Kaziranga Express is not conclusive about whether the real target was poll-bound Andhra Pradesh, a top police official said here today.

Reacting to reports that poll-bound Andhra Pradesh was the real target of the May 1 twin blasts on board Kaziranga Express at the Chennai Central railway station which claimed a woman's life, AP Director General of Police B Prasada Rao said that "the investigation is not conclusive about these aspects".

"Already the Tamil Nadu DGP made a statement to that effect with a rider that the investigation is at a preliminary stage. They ( TN Police) have to know whether the explosive was planted in Bangalore or in Chennai. Once they come to the conclusion (on that), other things will come out. The probe is not conclusive about these aspects," Rao told reporters here.

He was responding to queries on whether investigations so far had suggested that bombs were planted to explode (to target) in Andhra Pradesh.

Tamil Nadu DGP K Ramanujam had earlier said that "Chennai was not the target and it is suspected that Chennai could not have been target of those who were behind the blast because the train was running late. Some other location could have been the target".

In reply to another query, the DGP said that the AP police would also seek the custody of suspected ISI agent and Sri Lankan national Mohammed Zahir Hussain, who has been arrested by the Tamil Nadu police, to question him.

Reacting to a query on Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) warning all airports in the southern region of potential car-bomb attacks, the AP police chief said, "Alerts have been sent to SPs and police commissioners of districts which have airports. Security has been stepped up at these airports by intensifying checks on passengers, besides security checks at parking places and surrounding areas."