The investigating team which is probing in to the 13 July Mumbai bomb blasts has arrested a suspect Haroon in Kolkata. Intelligence sleuths claim that the terror suspect Haroon had visited Hyderabad in June and spent some time with suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Danish Riyaz to discuss about recruitment of youth and carrying out strikes.

According to sources, Haroon, who came to the Hyderabad in the first week of June, stayed with Danish at his rented accommodation in Tolichowki. Danish had been working as a database administrator with a small IT firm in Banjara Hills. He was arrested by the Ahmedabad police in the 2008 serial blasts case after he disembarked from the Secunderabad-Rajkot express in Vadodara in the last week of June. Investigating agencies came to know about the Haroon link while they were screening emails of Danish. During interrogation after the recent blasts, he revealed that Haroon met him in Hyderabad to discuss about recruitment of youth to send them for training to Pakistan.

Initially, investigating agencies suspected that Danish was in the city to keep him off the police radar. "Danish provided shelter to absconding IM operatives like Tauqeer at his residence in Ranchi. First we thought his job in Hyderabad was just to keep off police radar, but following new leads, that he was meeting IM operatives from the city, we again need to probe his activities," an intelligence officer said. Intelligence sleuths grilled the owner of the house and office staff of Danish. Some incriminating evidence was also collected. After analysing seized materials like computer hard discs, police stumbled on the Haroon link.

NIA sources said during interrogation, terror suspect Faiz Usmani, who died in police custody, told the Mumbai ATS about an IM module in Bangalore. Acting on the lead, the ATS team picked up five members, including a Hyderabadi from Bangalore and they are currently being grilled.