Rahman, Chennai blasts suspect still at large

Preliminary investigations into the May 1st twin blasts in a train at Chennai Central railway station revealed that the bomb may have been planted any time between 1:30 AM and 2 AM, when the train was on its way to Chennai from Bangalore.

“The CCTV images from the city railway station indicate there was [a] heavy rush of passengers for the train and this has created some confusion,” said an investigating officer on the condition of finding suspects.

Another officer revealed that all the seven Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) from Bangalore City to Chennai Central were being questioned, four of whom travelled till Jolarpettai, while the other three continued till Chennai. The officer added that they wanted to investigate into a person identified as Rahman, who booked seat number 70 and seat number 28 in the bogies S4 and S5 respectively, where the blasts had occurred. Rahman has been untraceable because the address he provided was incorrect.

“A person who planted the bombs in these two compartments obviously would not travel in them,” said another officer, who confirmed that the suspect planted the bombs in Bangalore itself. He also revealed that the TTEs say they didn’t notice any suspect throughout the journey.

There are six major junctions between Bangalore City and Chennai Central, and all junctions are being checked. The investigators also revealed that they suspect Rahman to be a part of outfits from the coastal towns of Karnataka. “There’s speculation about terror sleeper cells in the coastal towns from Bhatkal to Managlore. We’ve asked police there to be on high alert. The address given by Rahman indicates they may have a hand in the blast,” a senior police officer said.