Chennai Central Station Blast

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 01 May 2014 21:41

Needle of Suspicion is pointing towards Al Ummah, an UG Terror Org affiliated to IM and based in Coimbatore. : News Ticker on India TV.

@Shiv

It is too early to tell , without forensic test, if RDX was used. There is a picture of one train compartment ,in which blast took place, and it shows a hole in the cmprt floor. Picture is in Hindustan times Website.

There is jurisdictional tussle going on between Chennai police and NIA.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 01 May 2014 21:58

chaanakya wrote:Needle of Suspicion is pointing towards Al Ummah, an UG Terror Org affiliated to IM and based in Coimbatore. : News Ticker on India TV.

@Shiv

It is too early to tell , without forensic test, if RDX was used. There is a picture of one train compartment ,in which blast took place, and it shows a hole in the cmprt floor. Picture is in Hindustan times Website.

There is jurisdictional tussle going on between Chennai police and NIA.

Of course we must wait Chaanakya - but one death means just a few grams of RDX or a bigger low intensity bomb. Any significant quantity of RDX would have bumped off 10 people and blown a hole through the roof and sides. RDX is that powerful.

Even the seat has not been blown off in this image from Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/images/20 ... paper1.jpg

This blast, from Jaipur in 2008 is what an RDX blast looks like
http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/may/13nlook2.jpg

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 01 May 2014 22:41

The heat from rdx is very high and melts the nearby surroundings. This is not RDX.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 01 May 2014 22:43

I understand. We will get confirmation soon.Though I was referring to this image of another compartment where the only casualty took place.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/20 ... paper1.JPG

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 01 May 2014 22:46

If the blast was triggered by a mobile phone, how does the train being 1hr 45min late matter?

JJ doesnt want Center interference. Chidu is already saying that if NCTC was implemented, this could have been avoided

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 01 May 2014 22:47

ramana wrote:The heat from rdx is very high and melts the nearby surroundings. This is not RDX.

Well , my guess if Gun Powder/ It was mentioned in one of the seizure of bag containing materials for pipe bomb . Though RDX was mentioned in one news ticker.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 01 May 2014 22:48

The metal peelback indicates its high explosive. It tore downwards and peeled back due to reflection of the blast wave. Poor girl was dead immediately.

saip · Post by **saip** » 01 May 2014 22:52

This could not have been aimed at Modi's rally in Nellore as the train would not have reached it even if it was running on time. Also, it does not stop at Nellore. So you have to be in the train to trigger it to go off at Nellore.
But simplest explanation is some one put the bombs in Chennai at set them off. (CT: Was this done to kill Swati for whatever reason - a murder?)

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 01 May 2014 22:56

There can be an international link to this. There was a similar attack in China.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/ ... HX20140430

All this coordinated from Pakistan under the guidance of ISI and funded/supported by global ummah is a real possibility.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 01 May 2014 23:03

During my recent travels by train I found out that there was virtually no security checks at Howrah, NDLS, Chennai central, etc. You can enter with a suitcase atom bomb, set it up, have coffee and go on a vacation. This in a country facing 20 yrs of terror strikes.

saip · Post by **saip** » 01 May 2014 23:17

In China all baggage is screened by xray machines atleast at high speed train stations. But they are like airports. I noticed this at high speed station at Shanghai. But then they make these xray machines like popcorn. There is one behind EVERY check in counter at Shanghai airport. Before you receive your boarding pass your baggage is screened and if any doubt kicked into another room where it will be opened in your presence by the security guard. In my case a large can of shaving cream caused the bag to be kicked out. Even in USA i have not noticed any screening of baggage though Amtrak says they use some kind of a system for screening baggage.

SRoy · Post by **SRoy** » 01 May 2014 23:27

Gents,

Population is the issue. Its not practical to scan every baggage. IIRC NDLS has scanning facility in platform no. 1.

You have to see the laborer/worker crowd during Diwali, Holi etc. People also board and get off at small stops. Then there is chain pulling. Two many leaks.

Baggage scanning is probably useful for Duronto trains only.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 02 May 2014 02:43

X-post more is getting revealed....

vivek.rao wrote:Chennai bomb blasts may have been message to Modi

The twin blasts on Bangalore-Guwahati Express appear to be premature explosions. The train reached Chennai an hourand-a-half late, at 7.05am, and the bombs went off well before it reached Andhra Pradesh, where BJP had organized several rallies to be addressed by BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Karnataka police sources said they had been able to zero in on a suspect who was on the train with the explosive material. He is suspected to have travelled in S6 or S7, and not the two bogies, S4 and S5, where the blasts took place. They gave a clean chit to 70 of 72 passengers aboard the two bogies. "Names and addresses of four passengers, including the suspect, are not tallying," sources said.

Investigations revealed that the suspect had booked his ticket from Bangalore to Ongole under Tatkal scheme. The suspect gave an address in Kukke Subramanya in Dakshina Kannada district. A posse of the Mangalore railway police which went there found the address provided in the Tatkal form was false, highly-placed sources said.

"We suspect that the bombs were being carried to Andhra Pradesh where Modi was to address rallies at five places, including Nellore and Guntur. According to the schedule, the train was to pass through Nellore around 9am but reached Chennai late," a source said. They said in executing such plots, the perpetrators don't exactly carry bombs physically till their final destination, but throw them off at places where the train slows down.

"The fact that an ISI agent Sakir Hussain was apprehended in Chennai on Wednesday was significant. Considering that central intelligence agencies had alerted about a threat to Modi from the Indian Mujahideen, ISI and Dawood Ibrahim and that explosives were apparently planted aboard the train which was to pass through Seemandhra where Modi addressed rallies, there was a larger conspiracy angle which should be probed by the NIA," he said.

Its possible that IM (means Paki/Doggy Singh modules) did it. Then what accounts for the stuff found in Vijayawada railway station?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 02 May 2014 06:42

Today's Hindu reports that the bombs were gelatin sticks with well made timers. Can't verify the veracity of this report - but if true it is either a new group or someone outside the usual Paki-ISI circuit.

I have noticed that security agencies fill the airwaves with misinformation after such cases - especially if they have leads or are following someone.

In my view "message to Modi" was the Patna election rally blast. This one may have been a panic quickie as that Sri Lankan ISI chap got arrested. It would be wiser to warn Modi after he becomes PM. And lets not forget that terror attacks have never stopped - we lost a Mjor from Chennai a few days ago and there have been bombs and killings in Kashmir.

One intel expert on TV pointed out that South India may have become more lax than the north as they have seen less terror. This needs to be remedied - or else terrorists will remedy it with attacks

abhijitm · Post by **abhijitm** » 02 May 2014 08:24

we need to know who is running IM now. This could be a trial run or show of will by that person.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 02 May 2014 17:19

The Chennai train bombing discussion was such fun! ROFL

Do these guys have an iota of sense at all?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 02 May 2014 17:28

it may or may not be rdx but the material was not low intensity, from what little I understand. low intensity explosives leave tell-tale burn-marks, which are missing in this case.

edit: I read shiv ji's post after posting this. gelatin sticks make sense.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 02 May 2014 18:34

^^ No outrage against terrorist attack by leftists and secularists? Janataa ke naseeb me itnaa hi he?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 02 May 2014 19:34

I don't know wh4ether the bomb attack came immediately after the Paki army chief made his infamous "Kashmir" statement. The timing cannot be coincidental,it is yet another warning to India and its future Pm that Pak will continue to play the terror card no matter who becomes PM.

Pak has been abusing our neighbour's hospitality and territory in all sub-continental countries of SAARC to launch terror attacks,infiltrate its agents and smuggle in fake currency.Unfortunately,under the regime of "Surrender Singh",Pak was allowed to do as it pleased without adequate response from us to pay them back in kind.

sivab · Post by **sivab** » 02 May 2014 20:35

Blast suspect from CCTV, TN CBCID

sivab · Post by **sivab** » 02 May 2014 20:37

Shabbir Ahmed ‏@Ahmedshabbir20 4m

TN CBCID: The suspect was seen running. This CCTV footage was taken after the train reached Chennai

Shabbir Ahmed ‏@Ahmedshabbir20 4m

TN CBCID: There are similarities btwn #PatnaBlast & #ChennaiBlast

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 03 May 2014 03:01

Now TN police gives tips on bomb placement to terrorists
Placed differently could have done more damage

The two bombs that exploded inside sleeper coaches of the Bangalore-Guwahati Superfast Express were powerful explosive devices and could have caused more damage if they had been placed on an elevation, officials familiar with the probe said Friday.

Tamil Nadu Police said that there were some similarities between these bombs and the ones used to target Narendra Modi’s rally in Patna in October, but did not elaborate. They also said they were looking for a man who got off the train from an adjacent coach, and was not seen later.
A preliminary report submitted by Tamil Nadu to the union home ministry suggests that the seats under which the bombs were placed bore the impact of the explosion, and damage from the shrapnel was not widespread.

A woman software engineer was killed and 14 people injured when the bombs exploded after the train had pulled into Chennai Central station Thursday morning. Preliminary examination by the NSG team which visited the site found that the bombs contained ammonium nitrate and traces of potassium chlorate, officials said. The explosives were stuffed in a pipe and connected to a timer.

Tamil Nadu Police CB-CID IG Mahesh Kumar Agarwal told a press conference in Chennai that parts of a clock, batteries, metal pellets and a metallic pipe were recovered. The bombs were placed at an earlier station, he said, adding that the train would have been near the Andhra Pradesh border had it not been running 90 minutes late.

Officials said CCTV footage shows a person who got down from S3 coach at 7.08 am – the blasts were at 7.15 am in S4 and S5 – but did not get back on. However, they termed his movement as only unusual and not suspicious.

Investigators are said to be struggling for clues as pipe bombs can be assembled easily and have been used by several terror groups. Earlier this year, a similar pipe bomb was found under the car of Union minister V Narayanasamy’s son in Pondicherry. The NIA is probing the case and is yet to make a breakthrough. In February, Tamil Nadu police seized pipe bombs from behind a Reliance store in Madurai.

So gelatin sticks that Chindu came up with. Chindu is becoming a vehicle for disinformation with its Pravin Swami cohort. This guy is now in same league as Prafool Bidwai.

sivab · Post by **sivab** » 03 May 2014 03:21

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 03 May 2014 04:50

If it has similarities to Patna then the main perpetrator was a Paki guy Waqas who claimed to be IM leader while the cohort was in jail. So the NIA was as usual incomplete/incompetent in rounding up the gang. And they wanted to take over the case.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 May 2014 06:07

ramana wrote:Placed differently could have done more damage
. . . . The explosives were stuffed in a pipe and connected to a timer.[/b]. . . . Earlier this year, a similar pipe bomb was found under the car of Union minister V Narayanasamy’s son in Pondicherry. The NIA is probing the case and is yet to make a breakthrough. In February, Tamil Nadu police seized pipe bombs from behind a Reliance store in Madurai.

Pipe bombs, though very common, have been almost exclusively used in TN in every incident that I know of, including the attempt on LK Advani last year. If not in Bengaluru, these bombs could have been placed easily at Bangarapet, Jolarpet, or Katpadi.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 May 2014 06:26

Similar Explosive devices used in TN, Bangalore blasts - ToI
This could be TN-based al Umma which has used only pipe bombs everywhere. Many of al Umma bigwigs have been recently arrested after a series of murders of BJP, Hindu Munnani (Hindu Front) leaders. This could be a message to the police and the administration that they cannot be wiped out.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 04 May 2014 10:19

Another man caught on cam in Bangalore - The Hindu

Investigators probing the twin blasts on the Bangalore-Guwahati Express here on Thursday appear to have inched ahead in zeroing in on the culprits, with another CCTV footage showing a man hiding his face while going to board the train in Bangalore the previous night.

“The man is seen carrying a piece of baggage, and he consciously covers his face to avoid being caught by the CCTV camera installed there,” a police official said here on Saturday.

The Tamil Nadu CB-CID Police have developed two portraits of persons who were found moving in a suspicious manner in the Chennai Central and Bangalore stations. While one man was seen running out of the coach after the train arrived in Chennai on May 1, the other man caught on camera in Bangalore was seen hiding his face to escape the lens.

Unmanned coaches

In a stunning revelation, it is now known that the twin blasts occurred in coaches unmanned by any Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) between Jolarpet and Chennai Central. Investigators are hence trying hard to identify the unauthorised persons who had boarded the train, sources in the Crime Branch-CID said.

Police probes revealed that six TTEs boarded the train in Bangalore on the night of April 30, and three of them got down at Jolarpet.

The sleeper-class coaches S-3, S-4 and S-5 were left with no TTE till the train reached Chennai Central the next morning. “We have information that many unauthorised persons boarded the train without a confirmed or reserved ticket. They slept along the aisle or near the toilet of these coaches. Since their names or addresses were not available with the Railways, we are finding it difficult to identify them,” a CB-CID official told The Hindu .

Two bombs exploded in quick succession, killing a woman passenger and injuring 14 others of the train after it reached Chennai.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 04 May 2014 12:21

CB-CID Teams Rush to Guwahati & Patna

As part of the probe into the twin blasts on the Bangalore-Guwahati Express here on May 1, special teams of the Crime Branch-CID have reached Guwahati and Patna, agency sources said on Saturday.

Armed with the CCTV footage of two persons who were found moving in a suspicious manner in the Bangalore and Chennai Central Railway stations, investigators would make inquiries with some passengers who travelled in S-4 and S-5 coaches up to Guwahati.

After preliminary inquiries by the State police and National Security Guard (NSG) experts revealed that the explosives were similar to those used in the Patna blasts, another team reached Patna.

“We want to examine the suspects arrested in the multiple blasts in Patna, hours before BJP leader Narendra Modi was to address an election rally there,” a CB-CID official said.

Meanwhile, forensic experts who analysed the debris from the scene of blast indicated that Ammonium Nitrate was the main ingredient. Investigators were seeking the help of Information Technology experts to extract a better visual from the CCTV footage.

The footage in Bangalore showed a man taking the escalator and walking towards Platform No. 3, from where the train departed, sources said.

“Since he was carrying a bag, it is possible that there was another person who either boarded the train in Bangalore or the following stations. We are seeking the assistance of IT experts to improve the quality of images found in the CCTV footage,” a CB-CID official said.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 04 May 2014 13:26

they should rather improve the quality of CCTV's

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 04 May 2014 16:02

Bombs were assembled inside the toilet of S7 coach - ToI

The explosives that went off on the Bangalore-Guwahati Express at Chennai Central on May Day were assembled inside a toilet of the S7 coach, reveals investigation. Explosives experts have confirmed that the bombs were detonated with the help of a timer device.

An investigating officer told STOI: "There was sufficient amount of ammonium nitrate used in both explosives. No RDX was used."

A source close to an investigating team said: "We scanned through all the bogies of Guwahati Express, particularly S4, S5, S6 and S7, for evidence."

We paid more attention to S6 and S7 as a suspect, who was caught moving suspiciously on CCTV, came out of one of these bogies just five minutes before the blast and walked away hurriedly. On a close inspection, we recovered ammonium nitrate and other material used in making explosives. Luckily, the passengers did not use this toilet as everyone ran away after the blast. Had anyone used it, it would have been difficult for us to retrieve this minute but important evidence."

The Chennai CID team has, meanwhile, detained a man in Cuddalore for questioning. "We have zeroed in on many suspects in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It looks like the work of a new recruit to an extremist outfit," the sources added.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 04 May 2014 18:22

We have zeroed in on many suspects in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Classic statement from Inspector Zero.

What is the conviction rate (on appeal) of terrorism suspects in India? I mean, except for those killed in Encounters? In this case, the "Solution" was published within seconds of the blast: Sri Lankan terrorist who came on orders of the Pakistani (terrorist) Embassy official in Sri Lanka.

Now this. Wonder if someone can't tell these worthies to STFU and actually do some investigative work.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 05 May 2014 01:16

If the device was assembled in S7 how was it placed under the seat of the passenger who was killed? Usually there is hardly any place in the compartments. Also if it was a timer, it must be on short time setting for the perpetrator to escape. Was it murder?

Is there a sketch of the seating pattern?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 05 May 2014 08:36

ramana wrote:If the device was assembled in S7 how was it placed under the seat of the passenger who was killed? Usually there is hardly any place in the compartments. Also if it was a timer, it must be on short time setting for the perpetrator to escape. Was it murder?

Is there a sketch of the seating pattern?

Ramana - the hole in the coach floor was not even under the seat. It looks like a bag/box was simply placed near people's feet between seats and they "adjusted". There was not even enough of an up blast to lift the seat - so the blast has hit the poor dead girl and others.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 05 May 2014 09:24

Just out of curiosity, how hard would it be for IR to require each piece of luggage to have a piece of paper showing the owner's face on it, printed by a machine at the entrance to the station? That way, if someone drops some suspicious luggage and hops out of the train, it won't take fellow passengers too long to realize that the person with that face is not sitting in the compartment, or if there is no tag on the luggage, then there is some luggage whose owner can't be identified. Also, if there is a different face on the luggage, the other passengers may easily note it when the person is getting in. Thirdly, if by some chance, it survives the blast, then the authorities have an idea who to look for.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 05 May 2014 15:36

Perhaps a video camera at every door looking at both sides and at the toilets near the doors will show who is coming in and with what luggage and who is entering the toilet and with what.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 05 May 2014 15:39

thats 108 cams for each train , excluding other things like storage, most of these wont even work after 6 months as they are all made in china cheap stuff

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 05 May 2014 15:57

TN train blast, a dry run for strikes in southern India - ToI

Pakistan could be reviving cross-border terrorism in India. Indian security sources say smaller jihadi groups in different parts of India, particularly southern India, are being "activated" with funds and material to work at short notice.

In fact, the blasts in a train in Chennai last week were interpreted by many in the Indian system as a "dry run". The intensity of the blasts was not enough to cause great damage but it could be practice for a later event. In Pakistan, they point to the reappearance of Maulana Masood Azhar of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a sign that groups like his have official sanction to start operations again. "It appears to be a situation where Pakistan is keeping its powder dry, waiting to see how Indian politics turns out in the coming months," said a source.

On the border, ceasefire violations are becoming routine as summer sets in, generally considered to be high terror activity time, especially in the months until September. With Pakistani home minister Nisar Ali Khan declaring that Narendra Modi would destabilize the region and army chief Gen Raheel Sharif appropriating Kashmir as Pakistan's "jugular vein", the Indian security establishment is interpreting these as signs that things could get hot again. What is clear is that Indians are being used to commit attacks, keeping the tag of "homegrown terror" alive, to maintain plausible deniability by Pakistan.

Their real fear seems to be centred on what happens if a terror attack takes place in the immediate aftermath of the elections. If, as is widely expected, the new government is headed by Modi, it could become a difficult situation. As Sushant Sareen of IDSA said, "It could put Modi in a commitment trap." It would be particularly difficult at a time when a new government has not yet had time to settle down, but there would be the euphoria of a victory, with a resultant pressure to retaliate.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 05 May 2014 16:13

SSridhar wrote:TN train blast, a dry run for strikes in southern India - ToI
Their real fear seems to be centred on what happens if a terror attack takes place in the immediate aftermath of the elections. If, as is widely expected, the new government is headed by Modi, it could become a difficult situation. As Sushant Sareen of IDSA said, "It could put Modi in a commitment trap." It would be particularly difficult at a time when a new government has not yet had time to settle down, but there would be the euphoria of a victory, with a resultant pressure to retaliate.

This is precisely what many people including myself, predicted on BRF several times in the last few weeks.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 05 May 2014 16:14

krishnan wrote:thats 108 cams for each train , excluding other things like storage, most of these wont even work after 6 months as they are all made in china cheap stuff

No gain without pain. Camera systems come cheap and are not that unreliable nowadays. Rs 10,000 can buy a 6 camera home security set up.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 05 May 2014 16:19

actually less than that, if you buy in whole sum, but my point is after sometime no one will bother to maintain it