Monday, July 31 2006 12:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Arrest of prime Lashkar-e-Toiba suspects Rahil Sheikh in April and Zabiuddin Ansari in May during police raids this year could probably have averted the July 11 blasts here, police sources said.

Rahil and Zabiuddin are the prime suspects in the blasts case and after police made an unsuccessful attempt to nab them earlier this year, the duo are suspected to have moved to Pakistan from where they are coordinating LeT activities in Mumbai, informed sources said here today (July 31, 2006).

"Rahil Sheikh was holed up in Mumbai when a joint operation of Mumbai and Delhi Police was launched to arrest him in April-May this year," sources said.

"Being a prime suspect in the October 2005 Delhi serial blasts, Rahil was already wanted by the Delhi Police. With his LeT activities in Maharashtra coming under the scanner of the Anti Terrorism Squad, the two worked out a plan to nab him," sources said.

A secret operation was planed to nab Rahil who was then hiding at a place in central Mumbai. However, when the Delhi Police-ATS teams surrounded the house where he was holed up, Rahil apparently realised the plan and jumped from the first floor of his hideout to make an escape, senior police officials said.