The Gujarat police on Sunday arrested a man from the labour-dominated Dani Limda locality in eastern part of Ahmedabad and recovered 10 crude bombs and materials for making explosives from him.
It was a chanced detection, considering that the 30-year old Shahzad was given away by his wife. The police said Shahzad had an altercation with his wife on Saturday night during which he threatened to “blow her up” with bomb. She called the police control room early on Sunday morning informing them that her husband was in possession of some crude bombs.
When the police raided their Dani Limda house, they found one crude bomb. Shahzad later confessed to having made more crude bombs and led the police to the banks of the Chandola Lake and showed the spot where he had hidden them under the earth. On digging, the police found nine more low intensity crude bombs.
The police also recovered gun powder, sharp nails, glass and steel pieces from him.
The bomb squad was immediately summoned and all bombs were defused.
The police questioned Shahzad on a possible terror angle to the bomb recovery and if he had any links with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) or the Indian Mujahideen.
His possible links with the recent Mumbai serial bomb blast is also being investigated. A few more persons close to Shahzad were picked up for questioning.
Police Commissioner Sudhir Sinha said the bombs were meant to be used during the Lord Jagannath Rathyatra on July 3 to create communal tension in the city, but strong police bandobast might have deterred him from planting the bombs.
The police also recovered two country-made pistols and some live cartridges from Shahzad.
According to his wife, Reshma, Shahzad Ismail Rangrej was selling illicit firearms.
He used to smuggle country-made pistols from Jhansi and sell them to criminals in Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat. She named one of their neighbours, Yunus, and another person from Jhansi as Shahzad's accomplices.
A mother of two children and second wife of Shahzad, Reshma said her husband was inducted into bomb-manufacturing by some Bangladeshi Muslims who had come and stayed with them when they were living in Vatwa locality in the city some four years ago.
At that time Reshma had informed the police about the presence of Bangladeshis, who had entered the country illegally, and got them arrested.
On Saturday night, she said, Shahzad returned home late in the night and was very drunk. Following an altercation, he started beating her and threatened to blow up the housewith a bomb.
Reshma ran out of the house and woke up some neighbours and requested them to bring out the children and later called the police control room.
According to her, the recent serial blasts in Mumbai had “encouraged” Shahzad to plan a serial bomb blast in Ahmedabad as he could not plant the bombs during the Rathyatra.
