Himayat Baig, one of the accused in Pune’s German Bakery blast case, had landed in Mumbai for terror shopping a few days before the incident. He had also stayed at a guesthouse just a few metres from the Mumbai police headquarters.
Baig had assumed a fake name during his one-day stay in the city and visited three public places in South Mumbai, his interrogation has revealed.
“He had stayed in a guesthouse at Crawford Market under a fake name, Yusuf. We have seized the register from the guesthouse. Baig had signed in with a fake name while checking in,” said an official from the anti-terrorism squad (ATS).
Baig, the official said, has shown the police the places where he bought the material that were used in the blast. “He took us to the shop where he procured the mobile phone which was used to trigger the blast at the bakery. He also took us to the shop from where he bought a haversack. Both shops are located at Crawford Market,” he added.
Elaborating further on Baig’s visit to Mumbai, the officer said he had come to the city in a bus belonging to a private travel agency. The police have seized the booking tickets purchased by Baig from the office of a travel bus operator in Udgir.
“Baig also visited three public places in South Mumbai, but it is not clear yet whether he planned to target these,’’ said the official, adding Baig had visited Mumbai earlier too. His accomplice, Lalbaba Shaikh alias Bilal, had also visited the city in the past.
