Blasts: Police prepare sketch of suspect

Mumbai/Patna, Jul 17 (PTI) A suspected Huji
(Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami) operative was picked up in the
eastern Indian state of Bihar and Mumbai police prepared the
first sketch of a suspect but a breakthrough eluded
investigators four days after Wednesday's triple blasts.
Reyayul Sarkar alias Akash Khan (30), who claims to
hail from Bangladesh, was arrested in Bihar's Kishenganj
district and police seized from him a diary with Marathi
notings. He was missing from the area when the Mumbai terror
attack took place.
But the police did not want to jump to any conclusion.
"We are verifying all aspects. It is yet to be established
whether he has any links with the Mumbai blasts," R K Mishra,
SP Kishenganj, told PTI. Police had earlier ruled out any
connection of Sarkar with Wednesday's blasts.
A senior ATS (Anti-Terrorist Sqad) official in Mumbai
said the sketch of the suspect in the serial blasts based on
eyewitness accounts has been prepared.
"The sketch of the suspect is ready. It will be
circulated among the select and top investigating officials
It will not be released to the public," he said.
Two to three more sketches of suspects based on
eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage would also be made, ATS
sources said.
Widening the probe, police teams also fanned out to
seven states to get definite leads in a desperate hunt for the
bombers of the July 13 terror attack that left 19 dead and
oover 130 injured.
As investigations continued, brother of an alleged
Indian Mujahideen(IM) member died in a hospital Mumbai while
in police custody after being questioned on the blasts.
Faiz Usmani, brother of Afzal Usmani, who is currently
lodged in jail for his role in the 2008 Gujarat blasts, on
Sunday died at 1:30 AM while he was undergoing treatment for
hemiparesis and hypertension in the Lokmanya Tilak Hospital,
doctors said.
Usmani, a resident of suburban Govandi, was picked up
for questioning on Saturday by Chembur's Crime Branch unit and
as he was not feeling well was admitted to the Hospital in
Sion at around 5:50 PM. Usmani's family alleged that he was
tortured in custody.
Maharashtra DGP Ajit Parasnis ordered a CID inquiry
into the death. "A CID inquiry has been ordered into the death
of Usmani by the DGP. The state CID will look into various
aspects that resulted in his death," Joint Police Commissioner
(Law and Order) Rajnish Seth said.
Usmani' son Azeem alleged that his father was picked
up for questioning and "pressurised during interrogation. They
are to blame for his death".
Ryan Kumar, a doctor at the hospital, said, "He (Faiz
Usmani) died due to brain hemorrhage. This condition usually
comes when a person is exposed to some kind of shock".
Usmani's wife Rubaida said, "When the police came to
take him, there was no problem with him. Police said that they
will just interrogate him. He had gone alone. So we don't know
what the police questioned him about. I don't know to what
extent he was tortured, that he got so tensed. They came back
in an hour saying he was unwell, he had vomited and admitted
to Sion Hospital."
The Mumbai Police have, however, denied the charge by
Usmani's family.
"He (Faiz Usmani) was brought for questioning by the
Chembur unit. He was suffering from hypertension and had not
take medicines for the last three-four days. He was admitted
to the hospital last evening and the allegations of torture by
police are absolutely untrue," said Deputy Police Commissioner
(Crime) Nisar Tamboli.
Meanwhile, the doctors at the hospital said that there
were no external injuries on Usmani's body.
Asked about the progress in the investigations, ATS
chief Rakesh Maria said, "We are in touch with UP, Gujarat,
Delhi, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka police, as
well as all the central agencies. It is an all out effort".
"Our teams have fanned out to various locations.
People in various modules who have been arrested in the past,
they are being questioned to help us in this investigation,"
he said.