The Maharashtra Director General of Police D. Sivanandan has admitted that investigations by the state ATS into the February 13 German Bakery terror attack have gone wrong.
His comments came after a court granted bail to Abdul Samad, arrested in connection with an 2009 arms seizure case and alleged to be involved in the Pune blast case, saying there was no evidence against him.
“The ATS has to study the Pune blast case scientifically and collect evidence to identify the group behind the attack”, he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here last night.
Mr. Sivanandan said he was aware that four months had passed since the incident but stressed that the investigating agency should not be put under pressure.
“The first mistake was the blast and second wrong investigation. What we need is right investigation at right time,” the police chief, who was here to inaugurate an induction course for the state CID officers, said.
Samad was picked up by the ATS Maharashtra on May 25 at Mangalore airport after he returned from Dubai. He was charged with supplying arms to three persons arrested from South Mumbai in August, 2009.
Additional Sessions Judge S.L. Pathan on Tuesday observed there was no evidence against Samad and that even the ATS had never shown him as a “wanted accused” in the 2009 arms seizure case.
The ATS had claimed a breakthrough in the Pune blast, which claimed 17 lives, with the arrest of Samad. Even Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had issued a statement complimenting the ATS for the breakthrough. However, the statement was diluted later and the Home Minister cautioned the police to verify all the facts.
