In a dramatic chase, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday re-arrested Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Mehre Alam, a key suspect in serial blasts in Patna last Sunday. Alam had escaped from the NIA custody from a hotel in Muzaffarpur.
Sources said NIA officials along with Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) personnel intercepted Alam on the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express and took him down at a railway station near Kanpur.
Police officials reportedly said that Alam escaped on Wednesday when he was being questioned by the NIA team in hotel Ranjeet in Muzaffarpur.Alam reportedly escaped from the washroom, where he was surprisingly allowed to go without anyone keeping a watch on the door.
Alam is said to be a close aide of Tehsin Akhtar, who has emerged as the mastermind behind the Patna serial blasts. Akhtar is among the six suspects named in the terror attack. Akhtar also carries a reward of Rs 10 lakh, and he is believed to be operating the Darbhanga-Madhubani module of IM after the arrest of Yasin Bhatkal.
Police sources had earlier said that altogether 18 bombs were planted by eight-nine local Muslim youths living in lodges of different localities under Pirbahore police station in Patna.
They were given Rs 10,000 each for planting the bombs at the rally ground. Altogether six people were killed and over hundred were injured in the serial blasts. One alleged IM operative Imtiyaz Ansari was arrested at the Patna railway station. His interrogation led to subsequent arrest.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Muhammad Afzal, a kin of another blast suspect Ujjair Ahmad, too was arrested from IGI airport in Delhi. He reportedly had come to the airport to see off his wife when he was detained by security agencies and taken for questioning. The NIA which has now taken over the probe of Patna bomb blast has refused to make any comment over the arrests made in the connection.
Meanwhile, contrary to the Bihar Police claim that Imtiyaz Ansari was arrested by one of their policeman, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials have given documentary evidence to prove that he was first arrested by RPF personnel at the platform and later handed over to the State Police. Bihar Director General of Police Abhayanand even had announced reward of Rs 25,000 for the Bihar police constable for his commendable work.
The RPF official AK Brahmachari gave full description to the media persons how the RPF officials had taken Imtiyaz Ansari into custody and later handed over him to the Bihar Police.
However, taking serious note of the controversy the rail ADG, PN Rai, has ordered an inquiry for the truth to come out. “In the inquiry it will be known what the fact of the matter was and the guilty will be punished for the lapse,” said Rai.