CHENNAI, DEC 7: The Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department Police is pursuing vital leads in the train bomb blasts at Tiruchi and Erode and has sought coordination from the Kerala Police, which is probing the train blast at Thrisoor railway station, in the investigations to the blasts.

A team of police officers including CB-CID Inspector General Manoharan and Superintendent of Police Thukiandi are at Tiruchi collecting vital clues. Director General of Police F C Sharma said the police has not yet apprehended anyone in the case. Asked if the police suspected the hands of fundamentalist forces, he said every line was being looked into, but unless the front persons are known, nothing could be said.

Southern Railway General Manager N Krithivasan, who visited Tiruchi, Erode and Thrisoor told The Indian Express that all the three blasts appeared to be similar in nature. "There was a common point in that in all the three trains, the bomb had been placed on the last berth near the door of the compartment and under the berths. The extent of the damage is also similar." The bomb could have been placed by persons at the respective stations where the blast had occurred, it is believed.

The forensic experts have collected the bomb material to assess the type of the bombs used for the operations. The investigations are looking into the fact that all the three blasts occurred either at or near the railway stations. The Kerala police is pursuing clues from the pamphlet which was retrieved from the blast site. While at Erode, a timer device was found, no such devices were found in the train at Tiruchi and Thrisoor. The police believe that the device could have been placed at Erode just to divert the attention of the investigators.

The bombs used in all the three cases were said to be of medium type. Meanwhile, police is checking on a passenger, Raja, who is said to be missing, as he could provide vital clues to the investigations. Of the six Pandiyan Express passengers who were given berths where the blast occurred, three died, two were injured while Raja, the sixth person, is missing. A police team on Saturday visited Pudupet on the basis of the entry in the reservation requisition slip but found the address to be fictitious. Monsoon patrolling has been introduced on all sections of the Southern Railway following Saturday's serial bomb blasts in three trains in TN and Kerala. Patrolling teams have been disbursed to keep a tab on all the SR tracks, trains and stations. Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police were working overnight along with dog squads conducting checks of the railway premises.

The railways were making repeated announcements at Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore stations not to touch any suspicious objects and to report to the authorities of any such objects.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.