A terror suspect who was arrested in Agartala was brought to Bengaluru on Wednesday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Police believe he was living in Bengaluru with other terror suspects.
Najir Sheikh alias Patla Anas was arrested by the agency specialised in probing terror cases as he is believed to be a key operative of banned terrorist organisation Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and the prime accused in the Burduwan blast.
At least two persons were killed and another was injured in a bomb explosion at a house in the Khagragarh locality of Burduwan in West Bengal on October 2, 2014. The Bangladesh government banned the JMB in 2005, while India banned it in May 2018.
Earlier in July, the NIA had found improvised hand grenades, three circuits of improvised explosive device (IED), one timer device, two rocket bends, one jacket, one 9mm pistol with live rounds, one air gun and other incriminating objects from a house in Chikkabanavara, in northern Bengaluru, which was allegedly rented by JMB cadres.
According to NIA, his compatriots are Jahidul Islam alias Kaushar alias Aijul Mondal, Nazrul Islam alias Mota Anas, Asif Ikbal and Arif alias Rafikul Mia.
The New Indian Express quoted an NIA spokesperson saying, “These men were involved in raising funds by committing dacoities. They had established their hideouts in the city and had made preparations to carry out subversive activities by procuring material for making IEDs.”
The arrest of the JMB operative comes days after the anti-terror probe agency in July this year busted a sleeper module of the proscribed JMB in Karnataka and recovered hand grenades and raw material for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) among other material.
In late June this year, the NIA got the first breakthrough as it arrested Habibur Rehman Sheikh, a key figure in JMB, that revealed key aspects of the group's operations. The probe agency then launched a covert operation against the group in Karnataka.
(With IANS inputs)