Thursday, November 10 2005 12:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The arrest of a man in connection with the Delhi serial blast has turned out to be an embarrassment for the army as his interrogation by central security agencies revealed that he was a petty thief.

Sources in the interrogation team said today (Nov 10,2005) that Ghulam Moiuddin Lone, who was arrested by army units engaged in counter insurgency operations from Banihal in Jammu region earlier this week, turned out to be a cleaner of a truck who had stolen Rs 20,000 from his employer.

Lone, after committing the theft in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, had been on run for nearly two weeks before returning to his native village in Banihal in Doda district.

Upon his return, he was spotted by the troops of Rashtriya Rifles, an army unit engaged in anti-militancy operation in Jammu and Kashmir after which a 'confession' about his involvement in the October 29 blasts, which killed nearly 60 people in the national capital, was extracted.

However, the so called confession by Lone to the army, did not hold any water as none of the 'revelation' could be substantiated, the sources said.

Lone had visited Delhi only on two occasions but had no role to play in the blast, they added.