Bangladeshi’s being trained in WB to make bombs

Kolkata: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested four persons in the last 24 hours for their alleged connection to the Burdwan blast case.

Dalim Sheikh alias Faijul Hoque Sheikh, Moti-ur Rehman alias Noor Alam, Gyasuddin Munshi and Habibur Rehman were arrested from West Bengal’s Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia districts by different teams of NIA.

Two of the four arrested are said to be among the top leadership of Jamaat Ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in India.

Identified as Dalim Sheikh and Habibur, these two accused were handling madarsas in Nanur, Bolpur and Lalgola, Mukimnagar respectively.

According to credible sources, Dalim Sheikh allegedly worked as recruiter for a network of bomb makers; two of those killed in the accidental blast at Khagragarh in Burdwan district on October 2 last year were allegedly members of this network.

The accused revealed that in Beldanga, they had set up a burqua stitching unit as a front for assembling bombs. This unit was also being used to recruit people for terror activities and train them.

Sources informed NewsMobile that Dalim Sheikh, who hails from Birbhum district, was a full time member of JMB and was responsible for setting up bases and hide outs for the JMB members in India. Sheikh also acted as a finance arranger for the terrorist outfit.

NIA officials revealed that Sheikh also radicalized Indian citizens to join JMB and provided tactical and material support to their senior Bangladeshi members of JMB in spreading its network in India. He was allegedly one of the people who sheltered Bangladeshi nationals and reportedly arranged false documents for them, official added. 

While Habibur was second in command to JMB’s chief in India Sheikh Sajid alias Rehmatullah (a senior Bangladeshi JMB member) who was arrested earlier by NIA. Habibur managed madarsas with Sheikh and was operating training camp there.

Habibur used to maintain and run the terrorist training camp being run from Mukimnagar madarsa in Murshidabad district of WB.

The NIA had earlier announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for Habibur Sheikh.

Source also revealed that the third accused Moti-ur Rehman alias Noor Alam was also a regular member of JMB who used to work very closely with Shakil Gazi (one killed in the accidental bomb blast on Oct 2) at Beldanga in Mushidabad district. Noor was the main person who used to maintain the hideouts/training centres/bomb making centres at Beldanga in Murshidabad.

Whereas, the fourth member Gyasuddin Munshi was also a regular member of JMB who alongwith his wife had undergone training of JMB. He was engaged in providing safe shelter/ hiding places and facilities to senior Bangladeshi members of JMB so that they can sustain their terrorist activities.

NIA investigation so far has revealed that JMB has established its strong network in different districts West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand, particularly in Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Birbhum, Burdwan, of West Bengal and Barapetta of Assam. Sahibganj and Pakur district of Jharkhand.

The four arrests come just over two weeks after the NIA arrested Rejaul Karim on January 3. Rejaul Karim had a reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head. 

The NIA had reportedly recovered 39 improvised explosive devices of IEDs from the house where Karim used to live.

The West Bengal police had initially claimed that the blast on October 2 was triggered by the explosion of a gas cylinder. The state government had objected vociferously when the case had been handed over to the NIA.
 

With these arrests, NIA has apprehended 16 people in the case. All four of the arrested persons have been remanded to the NIA’s custody till February 3.