With the arrest of four alleged terrorists from Jharkhand, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday claimed to have cracked last year’s serial blasts at a Patna rally of BJP leader Narendra Modi and unraveled the IM-SIMI conspiracy to target the Prime Minister-designate.
Four people — Haidar Ali, alias Black Beauty, alias Abdullah, Md Mojibullah Ansari, Numan Ansari and a juvenile (whose name was not disclosed) — were arrested by the agency on Wednesday from Ranchi and Palamau in Jharkhand.“Definitely the conspiracy among these people was to harm Modiji. The people whom we have arrested earlier in the Patna blast case had said that they had recced (reconnoitered) Modi’s rallies and went there to see how to get near him,” NIA Director General Sharad Kumar told reporters at a hurriedly called Press conference here.
Claiming the arrests as a “big success”, the NIA DG said the terror team had carried out dry runs at four places - Akbarpur, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Delhi and Patna.But finding it very difficult in view of Modi’s security, they planted bombs at the Patna rally one of which was placed barely 100 metres from the dais, NIA officials said, adding the bomb, however, did not explode and was recovered by the Bihar Police only after a day.
“We have unraveled the entire conspiracy. However, further interrogation of the accused will be done to obtain more information,” Kumar said, adding 25-year-old Ali was the “kingpin” who was in touch with his “handlers” overseas and was also receiving money through the Hawala.Kumar said all the arrested people were operatives of the banned outfit SIMI and were acting in close coordination with the Indian Mujahideen (IM). “I wouldn’t say the IM is finished in India but they have become weak. Their cadres are demoralised,” he said in response to a question.
With the latest arrests, NIA has cracked three cases which include the Bodh Gaya temple blasts, the Patna rally blasts and explosions in Hyderabad’s Dilsukhnagar, Kumar said and attributed the success to coordination between intelligence agencies, NIA and local police.
Except for Ali, NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh on other three accused who allegedly planted the bombs during October 27 rally of Modi in Patna. Seven persons were killed and dozens others injured in the explosions at a nearby railway platform and Modi’s rally venue. Ali had been on the radar ever since the arrest of Indian Mujahideen operative Tehseen Akhthar alias Monu by Delhi Police last month.
Officials said the arrested members in the Patna blasts belonged to ‘Ranchi module’ of banned SIMI group which had been conspiring to carry out a terror attack, officials said.
The first set of blasts by the module was executed at Bodh Gaya in which two persons including a monk received minor injuries. The Bodh Gaya blasts were carried out in retaliation of the “atrocities done on Rohingyas” in Myanmar, he said.
After the Patna blasts, these people had been in hiding in various places with different identities. “Now all those places will be checked,” the DG said.He said Ali and Mojibullah were arrested from Ranchi and based on their questioning, two more accused were arrested at Daltonganj in Jharkhand with the help of local Superintendent of Police, who personally supervised the operation.
“Their interrogation till now, reveals their plans to recruit young boys for their organization from the states of Jharkhand, Bihar and UP with a view to attack vital installations and important personalities,” the NIA said in an official statement.Terming Ali as the “main kingpin” behind recent bomb blasts in Patna and Bodh Gaya, NIA said that he had recruited young boys for carrying out the disruptive activities.
“He is the most important person after the arrest of Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu and Waqas. He was attempting to revive the sagging morale of the cadres of his organization. Their arrest clearly establishes the links between the SIMI and IM,” read the statement.With these arrests, all the important members of this terrorist network responsible for Bodh Gaya and Patna serial blast cases have been arrested, the statement added.