Who are the two youngsters whose faces resemble the sketches of terrorists suspected to be involved in the Varanasi blasts? After thorough questioning of the duo for several hours, the Special Task Force of the UP Police declared that they were “innocent goggle sellers.”The Varanasi police are, however, still holding on to them, saying they can’t take chances. What has befuddled them is that one of the three shopkeepers, who had helped them draw the sketches, has confirmed that the two were the same people he saw keeping a bomb in the Gadaulia locality. New Varanasi SSP G K Goswami said, “We will release them only after proper verification. They have been brought for interrogation.”Ansar Ali and Sadiq Ali from Bihar were arrested along with six others here last night. Ansar and Sadiq were taken to Varanasi by the STF for questioning and identification. The STF has now pulled out from the interrogation.“We had cross-checked everything carefully. Both are innocent goggle sellers and had come from Shahjahanpur on March 10. We checked in Shahjahanpur where they stayed at Alka Guest House and found two rooms had been booked in their names. The workers at there told us they were at the guest house between March 5 and March 9,” said IG of STF Jagmohan Yadav.Hardoi SP Kashi Nath Singh said, “Our suspicion was due to their changing statements. First, they told us they are the residents of Dulahipur village in Varanasi. When we cross-checked, they started saying they are presently living in Bihar and had left Varanasi long ago.’’ He said they had probably got scared by the police’s intense questioning.The other reason for doubt was that the room was booked in the name of Javed, while none of them had that name. “We later found that three other people known to them had stayed in another room and one of them was Javed,’’ said Singh.Meanwhile, city SSP Navniet Sekera became the first casualty of the blasts and has been moved out — he was replaced by old Benaras hand Moradabad SP GK Goswami, who has taken charge immediately.Sekera was transferred as per the orders of Principal Secretary (Home) Alok Sinha and has not been given a fresh posting yet. Sekera was was on leave on the day of the blast — he was away in Etawah attending the marriage of CM Mulayam Singh Yadav’s nephew Dharmendra Yadav. Sekera could reach Varanasi only the next morning.
