The NIA team probing the Bodh Gaya temple blasts has detained three men and a woman. They are being questioned at an unknown location for their suspicious movement on the day of the incident. They were detained on the basis of the CCTV footage, informed a local police officer. The identities of the four have not been disclosed yet.
However, no arrest has been made in connection with the serial blasts even after two days of the incident, he clarified. One team each from the anti-terror squads of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are camping at Bodh Gaya to assist the NIA sleuths in the probe.
Meanwhile, Binod Kumar Mistri, who was detained by the NIA after his voter I-card was found on the temple premises during search after the explosions, continues to remain under the custody of the NIA. He is a resident of Barachatti in Gaya district.
The CCTV clips of the terror strike have shown six suspects,however the footage has not been of much use in the ongoing investigation so far, sources said.
A senior police officer on condition of anonymity informed The Pioneer that the NIA team is scanning the details of calls made from Bodh Gaya on the eve of the fateful morning.
It has been found that maximum number of calls and SMSes have been made from two mobile phones to Delhi and elsewhere from the Buddhist temple area, the officer said.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at Mahabodhi temple on Tuesday with the deployment of jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Bihar Military Police (BMP) following serial bomb blasts in the holy town on Sunday.
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is also scheduled to visit Bodh Gaya on Wednesday to assess the situation.
Earlier, private security guards belonging to Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) were entrusted with the task of maintaining internal security of the Mahabodhi Temple, but now their role will be restricted to assisting jawans of
CRPF and BMP who will now be primarily responsible for security of
the temple. A decision to that effect was taken in a meeting attended by senior district officials and heads of various monasteries. Visitors are now allowed inside the temple only after proper frisking as the three layered security arrangements have been made for the purpose. Identity cards would also be issued to resident monks for enhancing the level of security at the Mahabodhi temple.
Mobiles, cameras and bags will not be allowed inside the temple under any condition while boundary wall of the southern end of the temple would also be raised as a part of improved security arrangements. At the same time, the Bihar Government on Tuesday decided to constitute an Anti-Terrorism Squad to deal with such events.
The squad, to be set up at a cost of Rs 18.13 crore annually, will include an inspector general of police, a DIG, SP and DSP besides 6 sub-inspectors, Principal Secretary, Cabinet Coordination, Brajesh Mahrotra told reporters after a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The cabinet gave the nod for creation of 344 posts in the new squad, he said.