[16][17] He became the operational head of Indian Mujahideen when Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal fled post the Batla House encounter in 2008.
[5] Indian Investigators suspect Yasin, had planted one of the bombs on Jangli Maharaj road on 1 August, when four low-intensity blasts occurred in Pune.
[23] Yasin was traced and detained at the India–Nepal border in Nepal near Raxaul, Bihar by a team of undercover Indian police on 28 August 2013 following the 2013 Hyderabad blasts.
The arrest of Yasin was seen as a major breakthrough in the law enforcement agencies protracted efforts against the Indian Mujahideen.
"This is the biggest success after the Batla House operation, following which the IM was forced to slow down its activities," an intelligence official had said.
[24][25][26] On 31 August 2013, during initial police interrogation, Bhatkal admitted to recruiting young men from Bihar for terror attacks across the country.
During the trial, a total of 158 witnesses were examined, 201 pieces of material evidence were seized, and over 500 documents were produced in court.
[20] Indian intelligence sources claim that Yasin Bhatkal entered Pakistan in early 2006 on a regular commercial flight from Dubai even though he did not have a visa and was whisked away from the aircraft by his contacts to avoid immigration checks.
There were six instructors, who I understand were from Pakistan army," he said after his arrest, adding that he and some other recruits were taught to handle weapons and explosives and make bombs during the training that lasted about 50 days.