The NIA has arrested four hardcore members of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who were allegedly responsible for setting up of bases and hideouts, fundraising, radicalisation of Indian youth and their recruitment into terror fold. The NIA arrested the four JMB members Dalim Sheikh alias Faijul Hoque Sheik, Motiur Rehman alias Noor Alam, Habibur Rehman and Ghiyasuddin Munshi from different parts of West Bengal on Tuesday.
Following the arrests, the NIA claimed in a statement that Dalim Sheikh was “full time member” of JMB and was involved in setting up bases and hideouts, raising and collecting funds, radicalising youths and providing tactical and material support to their senior Bangladeshi members of JMB in expanding their network to India.
Motiur Rehman was a close associate of Shakil Gazi, who was killed in the blast. He was believed to be the main person who used to maintain the hideouts and training centres and bomb making centres at Beldanga in Murshidabad. Habibur Rehman was a very close associate of Sajid, a senior Bangladeshi JMB member who was arrested earlier by NIA. He used to allegedly maintain and run the terrorist training camp being run from Mukimnagar Madarsa in Murshidabad district.
The fourth accused, Ghiyasuddin Munshi, joined JMB with his wife and had undergone training with the terror group, the NIA said. He was engaged in providing safe shelter and hiding places and facilities to senior Bangladeshi members of JMB so that they can sustain their terrorist activities, the agency said. The NIA probe has revealed that members of JMB terror group had established their network in different places like Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Birbhum, Burdwan in West Bengal and Barpetta in Assam, Sahibganj and Pakur in Jharkhand.
The agency also said that senior members of JMB had established terrorist training centres and bomb making units in Beldanga and Mukim Nagar of Murshidabad, Nanur of Birbhum and Khagraghar and Simulia of Burdwan. The NIA took over the case from West Bengal police few days after the explosion following revelations of foreign linkages behind the incident. The blast in Burdwan took place inside a house on October 2 last leaving one person dead and another seriously injured.
Investigations have pointed out that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were being fabricated in the house and later smuggled to neighbouring Bangladesh. The agency has already arrested 12 accused persons in the case and the latest arrests have taken the number of those nabbed to 16.