Two car thieves who reportedly stole four vehicles from Navi Mumbai have been alleged to be members of an Indian Mujahideen (IM) module that was behind the conspiracy of the serial blasts in Gujarat in 2008. The cars — three Wagon Rs and one Maruti 800 — were used in the blasts on July 26, 2008, the police said.

Mohammed Mobin Abdul Shakoor Khan alias Irfan (32) and his cousin Ayub Raja Amin Shaikh (28) belong to Khazrana village in Indore and were arrested on July 6 in the Mankhurd suburb by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. Two weapons — a 7.65 mm pistol and a .32 revolver with four rounds — were allegedly found on Irfan at the time of arrest. Their role is being probed in the blasts in Ahmedabad, the unexploded bombs in Surat and also for the e-mails sent by IM after the blasts.

The arrests, which come after eight months of “intensive investigation”, are considered significant as they “indicate the source of the cars” before they reached the target locations. The orders for the cars were allegedly placed by IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal through Afzal Mutalib Usmani, one of the key conspirators of the IM module, in the first week of April 2008.

Irfan was introduced to Usmani inside Arthur Jail in 2005. Both were serving judicial custody with Irfan picked for a car theft and Usmani, an MCOCA accused and a member of Fazloo Rehman gang, was in custody for a firing in Oshiwara.

“After having struggled and failed to get a job in the film industry, Irfan turned a baglifter at the Kurla Railway Station,” said ATS chief Rakesh Maria. With his first offence registered in 1996, he allegedly shifted to motor vehicle thefts with at least 20 cases against him in various police stations in Andheri, Juhu, Sakinaka and Dharavi. His younger cousin Ayub has two cases of motor vehicle theft in the city.

“IM had been using tiffins and cycles in blasts and wanted to have a bigger impact. It’s then that Riyaz asked for motor vehicles and the IM recruited these two,” said Maria, adding that the first two cars were picked up from Navi Mumbai on the night of July 7 and the second batch picked up on the night of July 14.

“ATS Gujarat will be coming to question the duo about whom they handed over the cars to”, added Maria. The two are also believed to have met other IM accused at the rented bungalow in Dhani Limda to deliver the cars.

The demand was for CNG vehicles with Riyaz specifically asking for vehicles like Santro, Wagon R and Maruti 800 as these were most driven on Gujarat roads and would have allowed anonymity, Maria added.