Bardhaman blast: NIA probe leads to J&K, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
The probe into the Bardhaman blast, now being handled by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is pointing to a bigger plot extending not just to neighbouring Assam, but also to Jammu & Kashmir and the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The NIA has, based on leads gathered from the three women arrested from the site of the October 2 blast, picked up a suspect from J&K — a construction worker belonging to West Bengal.
The J&K suspect, to whom calls were made from the SIM cards seized from Rajira Bibi, wife of militant Shakil Ahmed killed in the blast, was found to be in touch with two other suspects in Birbhum, West Bengal. The NIA is now on the lookout for the duo.
Meanwhile, some arrests were made in Barpeta, Assam, on Friday. The Assam Police claimed the arrested were linked to a module operating under the patronage of Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
Bardhaman blast accused Hasan Molla alias Abdul Hakim being taken at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, on October 6, 2014. (TOI photo by Subhojyoti Kanjilal)
Importantly, jihadist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has also cropped up in the course of questioning of the suspects.
The agencies have found a picture of the ISIS flag downloaded a suspect's phones. Though the suspect claimed that the phone was being used by another person, who may have downloaded the flag, the NIA will be probing the angle further.
The discovery of grenades and bomb-making equipment from Bardhaman, as well as linkages across several states borne out by calls exchanged by suspects in Bardhaman with aides in far-off locations like J&K and even southern states, indicate elaborate planning and high level of preparations by JMB to carry out attacks in Bangladesh.
Intelligence agencies here believe that strikes were planned as retaliation against the Sheikh Hasina regime's crackdown on JMB elements.
NIA sleuths fear the suspects arrested so far and aides contacted across states by the militants are possibly foot soldiers. The probe will now focus on identifying the leaders of the module.
In yet another blow for the Mamata Banerjee government, NIA began its Burdwan blast probe on Saturday by questioning the district SP for three hours over the state police's reluctance to allow NIA access to the Khagragarh blast site on the day of the incident.
A six-member NIA team, led by IGP Sanjeev Kumar Singh, asked SP SMH Meerza why he did not give NIA investigators access to the blast site even after getting calls from Singh and NIA SP Vikram Kharate. The questioning of Meerza comes a day after chief minister Mamata Banerjee vented her ire on the Centre's "unnecessary interference" in state issues.
Another NIA team inspected the Khagragarh blast site for 20 minutes in the evening where they video-graphed their initial findings. The investigators also stopped by Bardhman sadar police station because the blast site is within its jurisdiction. Local cops had destroyed the seized IEDs before central agencies could arrive, and blocked not only an NIA team but also Military Intelligence, triggering allegations of tampering with evidence.
While the NIA heat on Bardhman police is likely to heighten tension between the Centre and the state, the Bardhman blast probe took a new dimension on Saturday morning with the seizure of more than 1,000 detonators and 2,797 gelatin sticks in the former Maoist stronghold of Jangalmahal and the discovery of yet another terrorist hideout in Bardhman .
The explosives were found in a car intercepted near Sanka railway crossing in Raghunathpur. It had come from Odisha and was headed for Purulia's Burrabazar. Two carriers — Seikh Sahabul and Paresh Mudi — have been booked under Indian Explosives Act and police are investigating any possible links with the terror module. The duo claimed they had procured the consignment in Raghunathpur's Lidih village and were to deliver it to an illegal stone quarry.
Burdwan continues to be the focus of a multi-pronged investigation with more evidence emerging that it may be a major hub of the terror network. Police on Saturday identified a fourth possible terror den in Hatudewan area. NIA is trying to find out why the terror module chose hideouts far from the India-Bangladesh border.
Central agencies — IB in particular — believe that Jammat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) chose Bardhman because it gives easy access to explosives. " Bardhman district is close to collieries, many of which are illegal but use gelatin sticks. Procuring explosives thus became much easier for the module," said a source. This suspicion may have prompted Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) — the largest user of explosives in Bengal — to issue a statement that all their 100 magazine houses in the state and Jharkhand are safe and guarded by CISF and ECL's own security.
Second, since the area is far from the border, security is less strict and it is easier for a Bangladeshi to mingle with the population. "Here, distance from the border is not a disadvantage. Intelligence collection is less hectic in Burdwan than border districts like Murshidabad or Malda, where fake currency is a major concern," added the source.
Third, Burdwan offers excellent connectivity to south and North Bengal and the Northeast where the module was setting up a parallel base, say IB sources. " Bardhman is well connected by road and rail. It is also easy to enter Jharkhand from here in case the local police become active," said an officer.
Another reason for choosing Burdwan could be the fact that other districts on the Bengal terror map — Murshidabad, Nadia and Birbhum — are under the police scanner. JMB operative Maulana Saidur had confessed last year that the group had established a network in Murshidabad, Birbhum and Nadia. They were also aware that this information was exchanged by Bangladesh authorities with India so the new module was looking for a safe base to operate.
Finally, JMB's financial capabilities had shrunk after the Hasina government cracked down on the outfit last year. They needed to find "budget friendly" areas near towns where they could produce bombs and IEDs even as training and indoctrination continued in certain chosen educational institutes. The decision to stay with family — not seen in terror organizations like Indian Mujahideen — was a ruse to dodge scrutiny.
Sources say the module led by Shakil Ahmed Gazi had surveyed 15 locations before they selected the five found so far. "We won't be surprised if we discover more such hideouts around Burdwan town," said a source. NIA on Saturday got permission from a Burdwan court for custody of the suspects and to transfer the case to a Kolkata court.
SP should be interrogated thoroughly as he may be the main person who could provide leads to this whole network. As being SP of a district how he was not aware of such a big plot and instead blocked all central agencies from site of blast. There seems a big conspiracy behind all these links and NIA must grill this SP properly. Mamta also must know that what are the consequences of playing politics with national security. No citizen of this country going to forgive her for this act of betrayal.
No comments:
Post a Comment