Jamshedpur, July 18: Senior Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials today interrogated Shams Tabrez alias Babu Khan, a suspect in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar bomb blast.

Tabrez was arrested by the steel city police yesterday from a hotel in Jugsalai, where he was staying under the name of Raja. He was in the city to appear for an interview at Fortune Hotel Centre Point, for a technician’s job in Kuwait, advertised by Mumbai-based placement firm, International Overseas Services.

A notorious criminal, Tabrez, is wanted in a number of cases, including a dacoity in a Gramin Bank branch in Surat, a robbery in Mumbai’s Bhindi Bazar and a series of highway heists in Bihar and Jharkhand.

According to sources, intelligence officials quizzed Tabrez for over four hours. Preliminary round of investigation yielded vital clues to his involvement in a a number of cases, including looting of Rs 22 lakh from the Gramin Bank in Surat, dacoity in Mumbai’s Bhindi Baazar and the Ghatkopar train blast, which killed more than 20 people.

“The IB officials grilled Tabrez about his links with militants and criminals as he was involved in a number of highway heists in Bihar and Jharkhand,” sources said.

The officials also tried to collect information about his associates and their possible hideouts. A senior police officer said since yesterday, they have conducted a series of raids in Ranchi, steel city and other districts of the state in search of Pappu, one of his partners in crime. “During the raid in Ranchi, we came to know that he has spent considerable time in the capital, where he is known as Raja,” the officer said.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rajiv Ranjan admitted that intelligence officials quizzed Tabrez in a number of cases. “They may have interrogated him about his involvement in the Ghatkopar bomb blast. However, they did not disclose anything about the clues provided by Tabrez,” the DSP said.

Ranjan said during interrogation by the police Tabrez confessed to his involvement in the Surat bank dacoity and looting of a truck from Sasaram in Bihar. Another senior police official said they have been able to get the name and address of the person who had purchased the truck looted by Tabrez from Sasaram for Rs 75,000.