On July 13, 2011, between 6.54 PM and 7.06 PM, three bombs blasted through Mumbai during rush hour on Wednesday, leaving at 26 dead and 130 injured.
The homemade bombs exploded within 15 minutes of each other, in a coordinated attack that targeted the busiest districts of the country's economic capital. The worst casualties were at Zaveri Bazaar, a gem and jewelry district. There were also explosions in the Dadar neighborhood and at the Opera House business district.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian National Congress leader Sonia Gandhi visited Mumbai the next day and met with those injured in blasts at Saifee Hospital.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a compensation of ₹2,00,000 to the kin of each of those killed and ₹100,000 to the seriously injured.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government also announced ₹500,000 in compensation to the families of each of those killed and about ₹50,000 to the injured.
It was the latest in a series of attacks carried by Islamist terror groups targeting India's financial capital, going all the way back to the early '90s.
It was also the deadliest attack on the city since 2008, when 10 gunmen from the Lashkar-i-Taiba militant group led a three-day rampage that targeted Indians, Westerners and Jews, killed 166 people, and sent India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
Who was responsible?
The Home Ministry classified the bomb blasts as a terrorist act and dispatched a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team to the bomb site.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan said that the bombs used could have been fuel filled, much like molotov cocktails.
Preliminary investigations suggested the use of multiple IED explosives in the blasts with ammonium nitrate-based explosives mixed with fuel oil. The explosives indicate some level of sophistication.
It is also believed that remote detonators may have been used, with two of the three blasts being high-intensity.
There was speculation that the pattern of the blasts suggested involvement of Indian Mujahideen (IM). Speculation was also rife that the hard-line Taliban Mumbai underworld could be behind these blasts, in the light of the killing of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, as well as the attempted assassination of Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Iqbal Kaskar on 3 May 2011.
Arrests
Investigations revealed that the two Pakistani bombers, named Waqqas and Tabrez, staying in Byculla used as many as 18 SIM cards and six handsets.
The duo received sim cards from the co-accused Naqi Ahmed, who was arrested by the ATS in January 2012 for possessing SIM cards obtained with fake documents, following which Naqi admitted his role in the blasts and also admitted working with Indian Mujahideen's founder member Yasin Bhatkal in arranging accommodations for the bombers.
On 25 May 2012, Maharashtra ATS filed a chargesheet against Naqee Ahmed, Nadeem Shaikh, Kanwar Pathrija and Haroon Naik (all are under arrest). Additionally, the chargesheet named six others including Indian Mujahideen mastermind Yasin Bhatkal and Riyaz Bhatkal, Waqas Ibrahim Sad, Danish alias Tarbez, Dubai based Muzaffar Kolah and Tehseen Akhtar as wanted accused on the run.
On 4 February 2014, Maharashtra ATS was handed over the custody of Indian Mujahideen mastermind Yasin Bhatkal for probing the 2011 Mumbai Bombings Case.
On 16 July 2014 Mumbai ATS arrested Abdul Mateen Fakki from Goa’s Dabolim Airport, while he arrived from Dubai by flight. He is accused of financing the terrorist operation by passing money through Hawala sources to Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal.
What steps were taken to avoid a repeat?
Then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan revealed a plan by the Maharashtra government for a future use of satellite phones and the development of a secure communication network so that the administrative functioning is not affected during such crises as a result of network problems.
He also reiterated the need to expedite the procurement of police modernisation equipment and the installation of CCTV cameras at prominent places in the city.
Following the Mumbai terror attacks the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) banned the use of Thuraya & Iridium satellite phones and infrastructure. Restrictions were already in place in 2010, for similar reasons, under provisions in the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
