“We have arrested Tanveer Pathan and Jahir Patel, two locals, who played a major role in helping those who had come from outside to plant bombs in the city,” Surat Police Commissioner R M S Brar said.

They were held on the basis of confessions of those arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad blasts. “Mufti Abu Bashir, Sajid Mansuri, Yunus Mansuri and Samsuddin Sheikh, were arrested for Ahmedabad blasts, who were directly involved in planting bombs in Surat. They all are associated with SIMI,” Gujarat Director General of Police P C Pande told reporters here.

Pande said the bombs planted in the city were as lethal as those in Ahmedabad but did not explode due to faulty mechanism.

Ten bombs were planted in Surat on July 25 and the remaining were planted on the following day by the SIMI activists with the help of Tanveer and Zahir, Brar said.

He added that those who had come from outside Surat left the city on July 26 after planting the bombs.“Some local modules were also involved. We are trying to get more details,” he added.

On a question if blasts were “a reply to Godhra riots”, Pande said, “One thing cannot be the motive behind the terror attacks. It is part of their game plan to carry out such blasts from time to time in various parts of the country. It has been done with absolute anti-national feeling.”

Police had recovered  25 bombs and two cars laden with explosives in Surat in July last week after the Ahmedabad serial blasts. Bombs were predominantly found from densely populated Varacha region where majority of the diamond cutting and polishing units are situated.