NEW DELHI, July 18, 2013: Taking a non-conventional parikrama of the Buddha statue at the Mahabodhi temple gave away one of the bombers in the July 7 blasts at the religious site. The suspect, whose sketches were released by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday, was seen by witnesses taking an anti-clockwise parikrama of the statue whereas the parikrama is done clockwise . 

The suspect wore a Buddhist religious robe and thus his lack of knowledge of established rituals aroused suspicion among devotees in the small hours of July 7. However, no one questioned him as he seemed to keep to himself. 

NIA arrived at the suspect's sketch by going through CCTV footages of the temple complex and eliminating the suspicion on all those visible. "The only person who was not traceable and had suspicious movement was the man in the sketch. Once we zeroed on him, witnesses told us how he was taking an anti-clockwise parikrama and seemed to be snooping around in the complex," said an NIA officer. 

It has also emerged that the suspected bomber wanted to blow up the main Buddha statue inside the Mahabodhi temple. Scrutiny of CCTV footages and eye-witness accounts have revealed that the man spent at least 10 minutes around the main temple and tried several times to enter it. "However, the prayers inside the main temple had already started and it seems the bomber did not find a chance to go inside and plant the bomb," the officer said. 

Witnesses have seen the suspect at all the spots where bombs exploded inside the Mahabodhi temple complex and hence NIA suspects him to have planted all the bombs. In the CCTV footages he is seen carrying a rucksack . The agency suspects the rucksack contained the four bombs. 

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 18, 2013.