The NIA sleuths assisted by the Ranchi as well as Bihar police on Wednesday arrested yet another Indian Mujahideen (IM) suspect Ujjair Ahmad from Doranda’s Manitola in the State capital, even as the hunt for four other suspects – Noman Ansari, Taufique Ansari, Tarique Ansari and Haider Ansari in connection with Patna blasts kept the investigating agencies on toes.
Ujjair, aged around 20, is said to have completed diploma in electrical engineering from Ranchi Polytechnic, and has worked as a petty contractor for electrical works. He is said to have provided financial support to Haider, a key suspect in the serial blasts at Patna during Narendra Modi’s rally on October 27.
Ujjair was taken to Patna by NIA after obtaining a transit remand of three days from the CJM court in Ranchi. Haider hails from Aurangabad in Bihar and was said to be in Ranchi in February last to recruit new faces for IM. “Ujjair Ahmad had been providing financial support to Haider and other terrorists and it is well established that he had given an amount of Rs 30 or 40 thousand to him before Ramzaan this year,” said IG (Ranchi Zone) MS Bhatia. He had provided financial assistance to Haider earlier also, he added.
According to the police, Ujjair had been assisting some of the terror modules for the last two-three years and is said to have links also with IM co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and another IM operative Tehseen Akhtar and was also connected with Delhi blasts in 2012. According to revelations made by Sithio villager Imtiyaz Ansari, arrested soon after the incident, Tehseen alias Monu masterminded the blasts in Patna.
Meanwhile, another person named Arshad Ahmad has been arrested from Alauli village in East Champaran (Motihari) district in Bihar. He was stationed in Ranchi and running a coaching centre. He has been absconding since the blast took place in Patna. Ranchi police however, denied having any information about Arshad as it was arrested by the NIA on a specific intelligence input linking him to Imtiyaz Ansari.
According to the Police sources, Arshad, who allegedly runs a coaching institute in Ranchi, was spotted after police found his mobile number on Ansari’s call list. The NIA had located Ahmad’s Ranchi and East Champaran addresses after tracking the numbers.
The NIA, on the other hand, in Ranchi sealed the room of Imtiyaz Ansari at about 1:30 am on Wednesday till 4:00 am early in the morning and is also said to have recovered some objectionable things which were left as irrelevant by the state police during the raids conducted by it earlier. After NIA team recovered suspected materials allegedly used for making bombs at Imtiaaz’s residence, his brother was interrogated by the agency at the SSP residence in the presence of the state investigating agencies who have been roped in to investigate into the Patna blasts.
“The NIA has taken in its possession which could prove to be a potential component in making a bomb like table clock of same brand and series used in the Bodh Gaya blasts, some powder like material which looked like tea leaves, threads, mobile body cabinets and some old mobile chargers,” said police sources.
The sources also revealed that three persons had been detained on Tuesday night for interrogation and released soon early in the morning. “Three persons from Sethio village – Parvez Ansari, Naushad Ansari and Kalim Ansari — were taken into custody last evening for interrogation but were later released after few hours,” said the sources in Dhurwa police station. These three persons were said to be in the contact of Imtiyaz Ansari. The investigating agencies present in Ranchi are primarily hunting for the four accused persons who are still traceless. It has become a challenge for the NIA as well as for Jharkhand Police as all the four accused absconding in the case are from Ranchi.