In a major breakthrough, the authorities on Monday arrested six operatives belonging to the Bangladesh-based terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is believed to have played a role in the Burdwan blast in October 2014.
Four out of the six arrested were wanted in the 2014 Khagragarh blast case.
The nabbed operatives are Anwar Hussain Farooq alias Inam alias Kalubhai, is a native of Jamalpur in Bangladesh; Md Rafique alias Rubel alias Picchi, a resident of Jamalpur in Bangladesh and an IED specialist, Jahidul Sheikh alias Jafar alias Jabirul, Maulana Yousuf alias Bakkar alias Abu Khetab, a native of Mangalkot in Burdwan district of West Bengal, Shahidul alias Surjya alias Shamim, the JMB chief in Northeast and a native of Barpeta in Assam and Abdul Kalam alias Kalim, a resident of Bangladesh.
Anwar Hussain Farooq, the outfit’s West Bengal chief who had a bounty of Rs. 10 lakh on his head announced by NIA, is among those arrested by police.
Kalam and Rubel were carrying on their heads a reward of Rs 3 lakh and 1 lakh respectively.
“These people were not in West Bengal after Khagragarh blast. They had left the state and moved to South India and North Eastern states. They were planning subversive activities in some South Indian states. We are trying to find out the details,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vishal Garg said.
JMB operatives are Bangladeshis and three are Indians.
“Forged ID papers, 2 kg white powdery substance, one laptop, mobile phones, detonator, wire cutters, batteries Bangladeshi and Indian currency, letters written in Bengali, travel guide, books on chemicals and memory cards for camera were seized from them,” said Garg during a press conference.
They will be interrogated by the NIA sleuths for more leads in connection with the case.
The arrest has also exposed the link between India’s Bodo militants and the Bangladesh based Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.
The NIA, which is probing the case, had earlier chargesheeted at least 21 people in Burdwan blast case that took place in October 2014.
The charges against the accused include criminal conspiracy and waging war against the nation.
The agency had taken over the case from the West Bengal police a few days after the explosion. Investigators have found that Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were being fabricated in the house and later smuggled to neighbouring Bangladesh.
