Sleeper cell suspect involved in Bodh Gaya blast held in Bengal

KOLKATA: Kolkata police’s Special Task Force (STF) on Monday arrested a 57-year-old man who is allegedly a sleeper cell suspect involved in the low-intensity Bodh Gaya blast on July 7, 2013.

Hajibullah, a resident of Samsherganj in Murshidabad district, was nabbed from in front of the ticket counter at Bandel railway station in Hooghly district.

“Besides being a sleeper cell member, the arrested person was involved in supplying explosives to the masterminds of the Bodh Gaya blast. He will be produced in court,” said an STF official, who did not wish to be identified.

The National Investigation Agency took the blast case and claimed in November 2013 that Indian Mujahideen was responsible. On May 25 this year, a special NIA court in Patna sentenced five people to life in prison.

STF officers expect Hajibullah’s interrogation would yield more information on the blast case. On July 7, 2013, a series of low-intensity blasts i n and around Mahabodhi temple complex left five people injured.

On May 25, the special NIA court convicted Umer Siddiqui (39), Azaharuddin Qureshi (25), Imtiyaz Ansari (35), Haider Ali (30), and Mujibullah Ansari (28) in the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act.

Besides life term, the court also imposed ~10,000 penalty on the convicts. A sixth accused in the case was less than 18 years of age.