Nov. 9: A militant arrested at Banihal in Jammu was brought to Delhi this evening to face interrogation over his alleged involvement in the pre-Diwali blasts that killed 61 people in the capital.

Under pressure to come up with a breakthrough in the serial blasts, Delhi police were cautious when asked if Ghulam Mohammad Mohiuddin’s arrest could yield any fresh leads.

“Jammu and Kashmir police have verified that he is a terrorist. But to say that he was also involved in the Delhi blasts is still premature. We are interrogating him,” commissioner K.K. Paul said.

But sources in internal security agencies are almost sure of his involvement. According to them, Mohiuddin not only accepted his role in the Paharganj blast but also revealed his escape route to Doda during a joint interrogation by Military Intelligence and J&K police.

Home ministry sources added that the case is about to be solved.

Almost simultaneous blasts had ripped three Delhi areas ? Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj and Govindpuri ? crowded with Diwali shoppers three days before the festival.

Belonging to militant-infested Banihal in Doda, Mohiuddin was detained by the army during a search operation on Sunday.

Sources said Mohiuddin told investigators he had assisted Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives in carrying out the Delhi blasts as they were looking for someone familiar with the area. He was deputed to the Lashkar’s Delhi operation by a Banihal area Hizb-ul Mujahideen commander, Abdul Hamid, who died in an encounter a few months ago.

Mohiuddin was contacted by three Lashkar operatives on October 29 at a rendezvous at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in Delhi, the sources said. While two appeared to be Kashmiris, the third spoke Urdu. The arrested militant told investigators that the four of them hired an auto-rickshaw to tour the city’s crowded markets and even left an explosive device in Paharganj, the site of the second big explosion after Sarojini Nagar.

However, Delhi police sources said much of the information provided by Mohiuddin has yet to be verified.

In Jammu, intelligence agencies are also questioning Mohammad Abdul Bandey, a Lashkar hawala conduit and carpet trader held on Friday.

Mohiuddin, under surveillance because of his links with Abdul Hamid, was picked up for questioning as security agencies tried to figure out future plans of militants after the car bomb blast in Srinagar on November 2.

During interrogation, he confessed to being involved in the Delhi blasts, army sources said. The militant was paid Rs 25,000, sources said.

About 21 now, Mohiuddin started working as a courier for militants after his mother died six years ago. He had lost his father as a child and has a sister to look after.