Indian police hunt militants as street bombs kill 20

INDIAN police hunted yesterday for Muslim militants behind co-ordinated bomb attacks against busy shopping areas in the nation’s capital that left 20 dead and close to 100 injured.

The blasts on Saturday evening struck five crowded areas of New Delhi within 45 minutes and were claimed by a group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen.

A further three bombs, also placed in crowded areas of the capital, were found and defused, said Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat. One had been placed at India Gate, one of the country’s most iconic monuments and a huge tourist attraction in the heart of Delhi.

“We have very vital clues, positive clues, we are very hopeful we will solve this case,” he said, confirming the latest toll at 20 dead and 98 injured.

The bombs and the targeted locations in middle-class south and central Delhi were all packed with evening shoppers. In an email sent to several media outlets minutes before the first blast, the Indian Mujahideen challenged authorities to “stop us if you can”.

Little is known about the militant group, which had also claimed responsibility for bombings in July that killed at least 45 people in the cities of Ahmedabad and Bangalore. Security services suspect it may be a front for groups banned by the Indian government over the past few years such as the Students’ Islamic Movement of India.