He expressed confident that police and intelligence agencies would be able to zero-in on the terror group behind the blasts.
Chidambarm said, every hostile group will be probed and it has been clarified to the Maharashtra Police not to rule out any angle.
“We have asked the police and investigators not to proceed on presupposition. All those who have the capacity to carry out terror attacks are suspected. All angles will be investigated, all premises will be examined, all leads will be followed,” he said at a press conference here.
He ruled out any intelligence failure. ‘There were no intelligence inputs with the Central and State agencies’. He said that Ammonium nitrate with timer devices were used in the IEDs in Mumbai.
He said he was sad that the second incident of terror attack has happened after the 26/11 carnage and both have happened in Maharashtra. He said, the Blasts were not aimed at hitting markets, the terror group chose targets with high population density.
Chidambaram said the death toll in latest Mumbai serial blasts is 18. Twenty three of the 131 injured are seriously injured. He said, the conditions of some of these people are critical.
The home minister also pointed out that, we live in the most troubled neighbourhood, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the epicentres of terrorism. He said, he was confident that we will able to zero-in on the terror group behind the blasts.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also took stock of the situation with top police officials who apprised him of the investigations into serial blasts. Chavan had last night visited the blast sites along with Home Minister P Chidambaram and spoke to the investigators. Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh rupees for the families of the blast victims and 50,000 rupees to the injured.
Three serial terror blasts hit the crowded areas in Zaveri Bazar, Dadar and the Opera House in Mumbai last evening. Two forensic teams from Hyderabad and New Delhi inspected the blast sites in Mumbai. A 6-member National Investigation Agency Team is also assisting the Maharashtra police in the investigations into the serial blasts. No terror outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack. A high security alert has been sounded all over the country.
Maharashtra Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan said that the State government will bear the medical expenses of those injured in the blasts.
President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker and the UPA Chairperson condemned the bomb blasts and expressed deep condolence over the loss of lives.
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