(Top) A balcony of the Jamianagar flat (above in circle) where the shootout took place. A sneak peek into the flat revealed clothes and other items strewn on the floor. At one corner lay a computer. A window leading to the balcony was open; a flicker of light filtered in. The balcony overlooked a narrow lane. The main door opened to another set of stairs that led to the terrace. Pictures by Prem Singh and PTI

New Delhi, Sept. 19: Delhi police today claimed to have cracked part of the Indian Mujahideen puzzle, saying it was made up of two wings and that the leader of one died in this morning’s shootout.

Police sources said the slain Mohammed Atif Amin headed the operative arm of the outfit that had planned and carried out the Ahmedabad and Delhi blasts. This arm, they claimed, represented the non-Simi cadre of the Indian Mujahideen.

The other arm was made up of Simi members and was headed by former Simi president Safdar Nagori and Tauqeer alias Abdul Subhan Qureshi, the sources added.

This wing mainly dealt with ideological issues, worked out strategy and arranged safe houses for operatives.

The tech-savvy Tauqeer, however, is believed to be personally a hands-on man and an expert at bomb-making and cyber hacking.

“There are two groups (in the outfit): one of Safdar Nagori and Tauqeer and the other led by Atif. We also know that messages from Atif were left at Tauqeer’s house in Mira Road (a Mumbai suburb),” an officer said.

He, however, admitted that the police still lacked thorough knowledge of the Indian Mujahideen’s structure, hierarchy and non-Simi links.

Karnail Singh, joint commissioner in the Delhi police special cell, said Atif was in direct touch with Tauqeer.

Sources said both were extremely cautious men and that Atif would not give his cellphone number even to Tauqeer.

Apparently, Atif would call up Tauqeer, whose cellphone number he knew, from a public phone booth whenever they needed to communicate.

The police had gone looking for Tauqeer to the house where today’s shootout happened.

Atif and four others, all young men in their 20s, had been living as tenants in a fourth-floor flat in the “Simi safe house” for about two months, officers said.

According to police sources, intelligence inputs have linked Atif to the August 2007 Gokul Chat Bhandar blast in Hyderabad and this year’s explosions in Jaipur (May 13), Ahmedabad (July 26) and New Delhi (September 13).

On July 23, Atif had allegedly left Delhi for Ahmedabad with 12 other militants, including a 14-year-old boy. “(After the blasts) they took a 5.30pm train from Ahmedabad and returned to Delhi on July 27,” an officer said.

Sleuths expect Mohammed Saif, arrested from Jamianagar today, to throw more light on the recent bombings in the country.

The Indian Mujahideen had burst on the terror scene with the court blasts in Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad in November last year. It had claimed responsibility for this year’s Delhi and Ahmedabad blasts through emails sent to media offices.

The outfit also sent crowing text messages to senior police officers coinciding with the Delhi attack, and spoke of plans to strike at all major towns and cities in the country in retaliation for “discrimination against Muslims”.