The alleged SIMI terror module that triggered the Ahmedabad blasts seems to have meticulously used cellphones during the planning and execution stage of the terror attacks.

According to the Ahmedabad City Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Mufti Abu Bashir, the alleged mastermind, who had stayed in Ahmedabad along with Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqir, a co-conspirator, had procured five SIM cards using local names and addresses.

Bashir had used these cellphone numbers to remain in touch with the other members of the module at the planning stage of the conspiracy. During the execution stage, the cards were only given to the people who had actually planted the bombs at various places across the state.

"Bashir had given the SIM cards to the bomb planters on July 26, who had used them very deftly. Each member had contacted the other through STD-PCO booths after successfully planting the bombs," said a DCB officer.

The police said that these numbers were used only for receiving calls. Many of the calls were from Juhapura, where Zahid Shaikh, one of the key members of the module, lived at Sandhi Avenue near the Sarkhej highway.

A DCB officer said these numbers had become inactive immediately after the blasts.

This bit of information together with human intelligence led investigators to detect the masterminds behind the attacks, he said.