Baroda: Three accused in the Godhra train carnage have admitted that they were part of the mob that attacked and set on fire S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express on February 27 in which 58 Ramsevaks were burnt alive, deputy inspector general (DIG), criminal investigation department (CID), Rakesh Asthana said on July 15.

The admission of the accused, who were arrested on July 9, comes close on the heels of Forensic Scientific Laboratory (FSL) report that the coach was set afire from inside.

During his last week's visit to Ahmedabad, even the Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani had said that miscreants might have entered the coach to set it on fire from inside.

The three accused, identified as Mohammed Yakub Mitha, Hassan Ahmed Charkha and Ramzan Bin Yamin, nabbed from Single Faliya area adjacent to the train carnage site, were remanded to police custody till July 16.

Police are in search of Razzaqu Kurkur and absconding councillor Farukh Bhana who played a key role.

The arrests of other members would help police in establishing the motive behind the act, police said, adding so far the conspiracy angle was not yet established.

At least 61 persons, including disqualified president of the Godhra civic body Mohammed Hussain Kalota and three other councillors of this body, have been arrested in connection with the case, police said.

Notorious criminal Kurkur, a tea vendor who used to work for the three accused, is now in police remand.

However, police did not reveal the link between Kalota, Haji Bilal and the three accused saying investigations were on.

PTI