Even as a breakthrough in the Israeli Embassy car blast probe eluded investigators, a red coloured motorcycle, possibly the one used as a getaway vehicle by the bomber, was found abandoned near a park in the Lado Sarai area of South Delhi in the early hours of Wednesday.
The fuel tank and other parts were found damaged. Investigations have revealed that the two-wheeler was first registered in the name of a resident of Satya Niketan at Moti Nagar in 2006. He disclosed that he had sold the motorcycle in 2008 to another person after which it changed hands twice.
Officers of the Special Cell and a forensic team examined the motorcycle. It is learnt that the police have identified the two other owners, whose names have been withheld as they are being questioned by the Special Cell. “They are being quizzed to find out how the motorcycle reached Lado Sarai. Investigations so far have revealed that no case of theft had been registered by the last owner, which raises suspicion,” said a police officer.
The case is being investigated by the Special Cell sleuths in coordination with intelligence agencies and in consultation with their Israeli and U.S. counterparts. It is learnt that a team of Israeli officials visited the Lodhi Road office of the Special Cell to examine the badly damaged Embassy vehicle and discuss the developments in the probe.
Since the investigators are yet to get a concrete lead, several theories are being probed by various teams. One aspect is that the modus operandi employed to target the Israeli woman official is identical to the one used to assassinate Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment plant in Iran on January 11. However, while in that case two assailants on a motorcycle had stuck magnetic bombs in his car, an eyewitness account here revealed that only one motorcyclist executed the car blast in Delhi.
Since the configuration of the improvised explosive magnetic device used in the attack is unique, used for the first time in India, investigating agencies are trying to reconstruct it with the help of explosives experts in a bid to ascertain its source. “Whether a local element was equipped enough to configure the device and detonate it with such a precision is a vital question to be answered. The fact that only one person executed the blast is also to be analysed to ascertain if the attack was carried out single-handedly or by a module,” said an official.
Screening of the CCTVs installed in the area surrounding the explosion site has not yet yielded any encouraging result. However, believing that the assailant had a communication device on him, the police are examining the details of mobile phones active in the area during the time of the blast.
