Staff Reporter :
Special Task Force of Kolkata Police have arrested six Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) members, including four wanted in the 2014 Khagragarh blast case, from West Bengal and Assam in India.
“Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Visal Garg told the media in the West Bengal capital, reports IANS.
Of them, Maulana Yusuf Sheikh, Sahidul Islam and Abul Kalam are from India, while Anwar Hussain Farooq, Md. Rubel and Jahidul Islam are Bangladeshi citizens, the report said.
The arrests are significant since Farooq is the head of the outfit’s of West Bengal unit, and Yusuf Sheikh is the second in command in the state. He is also the JMB’s Chief Coordinator of the WB unit. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced reward on his head.
The four others — Shahidul Islam, Mohammad Rubel, Abul Kalam and Jahidul Islam — were wanted in connection with the Burdwan blast of Oct 2, 2014.
Yusuf and Shahidul were arrested from Natun Bazar of Bashirhat area of North 24 Parganas district on Sunday, while Farooq and Rubel were picked up from Bagda Road in Bangao of the same district, Garg said.
Kalam was held from Coochbehar of North Bengal on Sunday, while Jahidul was arrested from Cachhar district of Assam on Saturday.
“These people did not stay in West Bengal after Khagragarh blast. They left the state and moved to South India and Northeastern states. They were planning subversive activities in few South Indian states. We are trying to find out the details,” Joint Commissioner Garg said.
The arrested JMB activists were running sleeper cells across the eastern and north-eastern states and were plotting an attack in the region, he said.
Forged ID papers, two 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.
He said that Maulana Yusuf, Sahidul Islam, Abul Kalam and Jahidul Islam were wanted by the NIA in the Bardhaman blast case.
“Prima facie, it seems that the white powder is some kind of explosive. We will send it for forensic examination,” said Garg.
According to him, Anwar is the head of the JMB unit in Bengladesh, Jahidul is the head of the organisation in the Northeast in India. Rubel and Kalam are trained in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“We will produce them in the court and plead for police custody,” said Garg.
