ATS nabs two IM operatives

Cops claim the duo provided vehicles to trigger explosions in Ahmedabad, Surat at the behest of Afzal, a close aide of Riyaz BhatkalTwo alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives, who provided vehicles used in the 2008 serial blasts in Gujarat that killed 56 and wounded over 200, have been arrested by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).The terror suspects identified as Mohammed Mobin Abdul Shakoor Khan alias Irfan (32) and his cousin Ayub Raja Amin Shaikh (28) were arrested in an Arms Act case from suburban Mankhurd on July 6 after they were found with a pistol, revolver and four rounds of ammunition.The two have been remanded to police custody till July 16.According to police sources, the accused hail from Indore and have stayed in different parts of the country before they moved to the city with dreams of making it big in Bollywood. The official added that Mohammed had come to the city in 1996 with dreams of becoming a hero in the movies, while his cousin came to the city in 1998 in search of a job.Mohammed has at least 20 cases related to motor vehicles theft lodged against him while Ayub also has a number of criminal cases including robbery and vehicle theft registered against him.Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria said that after their custody ended, the Gujarat police will seek their custody.The Gujarat police is probing the case of the Ahmedabad blasts on July 26, 2008 and explosives found in four-wheelers the next day in Surat.Twenty-one bomb explosions had rocked Ahmedabad in a span of 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring over 200.The two had stolen four vehicles from near Mumbai, of which two were used in Ahmedabad blasts while the rest were driven to Surat, where these explosive-laden vehicles did not explode, said Maria.He added, Mohammed had met Afzal, a close aide of IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, inu00a0 2005. Two months prior to the blasts, Bhatkal told Afzal that they needed four-wheelers that could be used to trigger explosions in Gujarat.Mumbai Link in BlastsDuring the Probe,the Ahmedabad police found two cars with Maharashtra registration plates from the blast sites in 2008. Further investigations revealed that the cars were from Navi Mumbai and were stolen earlier in the month.According to an investigating officer, the bombers were present in Navi Mumbai at least 20 days before the blasts.He added that a Wagon R and a Maruti 800 were reported stolen on July 8 and July 15 from Navi Mumbai. The perpetrators used fake Gujarat number plates on the stolen vehicles.