India issues new suspect sketches

Police are investigating a claim by an unknown group that it was responsible

Police in India have issued three more sketches of men whom they want to question in connection with the attacks that hit the city of Jaipur this week.

A series of explosions killed 63 people and left about 200 wounded in the crowded old city on Tuesday evening.

Police had already issued a sketch of a man they believe owned a bicycle used to plant one of the bombs.

Jaipur, in Rajasthan, is a popular tourist destination about 260km (160 miles) from the Indian capital, Delhi.

The curfew in the old city has been lifted.

'Formidable enemy'

The motive for the attack remains unclear and no arrests have been made. Most people in Jaipur are Hindus but the city has a large Muslim minority. Correspondents say it has no history of religious violence.

RECENT BOMB ATTACKS August 2007: Bombs in open-air auditorium and restaurant in Hyderabad kill more than 40 May 2007: Bomb in historic Hyderabad mosque kills 14 February 2007: Twin blasts on train travelling from Delhi to Pakistan kills at least 66 people near Panipat July 2006: More than 160 killed by seven bombs on train network in Mumbai March 2006: Bombs at Hindu temple and railway station in Varanasi kill 15 October 2005: Three blasts in Delhi kill 62 Who is behind the India bombings? Jaipur deals with blast aftermath Papers see pattern to blasts

There have been sporadic bomb attacks around India in recent years. The police have had little success in bringing prosecutions.

A Rajasthan police official said that the three new photofit pictures of suspects were of men between 18 and 25 years of age.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje told reporters that investigations were going on.

"The whole operation was carried out with considerable skill, indicating that we are fighting a very formidable enemy," she said.

Separately, the police have traced an email message sent by a previously unknown group claiming that it had carried out the attacks to a cyber cafe on the eastern outskirts of the capital, Delhi.

The owner of the cyber cafe in Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh state and an employee are being questioned by the police.

The email message to Indian news organisations said it was sent by the "Indian Mujahideen".

It included a short video clip of a bicycle parked on a street with a bag strapped to it - the message said it was the footage of one of Tuesday's bombs before it exploded.

'Attempt to mislead'

The police said they were trying to verify whether the claim was genuine or a hoax.

Ms Raje said the video clip could be an attempt to mislead investigators.

Eight bombs went off in the heart of Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan state, starting at around 1915 local time (1345 GMT) on Tuesday.

Each came a few minutes apart and eyewitnesses spoke of panic and then a stampede in the crowded old walled city.

One bomb exploded close to Jaipur's most famous landmark, the historic Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds.

At least two of the attacks targeted temples of the Hindu god, Hanuman, which are normally crowded on Tuesdays.

Jaipur is an extremely popular stop on India's primary tourist circuit known as "The Golden Triangle", which takes in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh state.

It is known as the Pink City, because of the colour of its forts, palaces and city walls.