Police arrest 2, identify suspect in Mumbai blasts

[January 23, 2012]  NEW DELHI (AP) -- Mumbai police have arrested two men involved in triple bomb blasts that hit India's financial hub six months ago, a top investigator said Monday.

The men were arrested in the eastern Indian state of Bihar and were brought to Mumbai to be formally charged for their role in the blasts that killed 27 people, said Rakesh Maria, head of the Anti-Terrorism Squad.

He said police have also unraveled a complex financial trail leading to the July explosions.

However, police have yet to find the top suspect, Yasin Bhatkal, he said.

Bhatkal is a leader of the domestic Indian Mujahedeen group that has been blamed for the blasts.

Maria said investigators visited 18 Indian states and talked to nearly 12,400 witnesses during the six-month investigation. Footage from 180 closed-circuit cameras installed near the blast sites was also studied, he said.

At least 137 people were injured in the rush-hour attacks in three busy Mumbai neighborhoods.

[Associated Press]

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