Raipur Simi member masterminded Bodh Gaya blasts: Police

Chhattisgarh Police today said that Umer Siddhiqui, a suspected Simi activist who was arrested alongwith seven others here last week, had planned the July 7 blasts at Bodh Gaya temple complex in Bihar, and also planned to carry out attack on Narendra Modi during his rallies.
Siddhiqui wanted to target Modi, during the rallies in Kanpur, Delhi and Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh, police claimed.
"Siddhiqui has admitted that he had planned the Bodh Gaya blasts. He had instructed where the explosives should be planted," Director General of Police Ramniwas told reporters here.
Siddhiqui, 35, who runs a coaching class here, is one of the eight persons arrested last week in connection with serial blasts at Modi's last month's rally in Patna. All of them are allegedly members of the banned Simi.

The DGP said that Siddhiqui told Police about the Bodh Gaya blasts elaborately, with minute details of the site, which proved that he had given necessary instructions.
According Ramniwas, Siddhiqui also confessed to sheltering the culprits of Patna blasts in Raipur afterwards.

"Abdulla, the prime accused in the Patna blasts case and Umer had also planned attack on Modi for which they had conducted recce in Kanpur, Delhi and Ambikapur ahead of the Gujarat Chief Minister's rallies," the DGP said.
They had allegedly prepared sketches of the venues, but put off the plan each time due to the heavy security.

According to police, the bombs were to be planted near the stage and in the case of failure to set them off blasts were to be carried out amid the public.