Mahabodhi blasts: Bomb timers were traced to Gujarat, bought in Guwahati

The timers used to trigger explosions in Bodh Gaya were bought from a shop in Guwahati and were manufactured in Gujarat, investigators have found. Sources said sleuths of the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the July 7 blasts in one of the most sacred Buddhist sites, have found that clocks attached with the unexploded bombs were manufactured in a plant in Rajkot, Gujarat.

The entire lot of the clocks was sent to Guwahati and a few of the clocks were bought from a shop there by a buyer, they said. The sources, however, said involvement of local hands cannot be ignored as the cylinders tied with the bombs were most probably procured locally in Bihar.

Investigators got enough indications that people with mongoloid features could be involved in carrying out the explosions, the sources said, hinting that involvement of Myanmar's Rohingiya Muslims cannot be ruled out.

There were reports that the multiple blasts were reaction to the alleged violence against minorities in Myanmar's Rakhine province. Two monks were injured following the early morning explosions of 10 bombs in Bodhgaya.

Three other bombs were found unexploded. The temple and the Bodhi Tree, under which Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, did not suffer any damage in the blasts which shook the holy town frequented by Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Japan and the whole of southeast Asia.