Sajid was in India to monitor recruits: NIA

Burdwan blast kingpin sneaked across the border in 2012, but did not use cellphone to protect his identity

KOLKATA: Alleged Burdwan blast kingpin Sheikh Rahmatullah alias Sajid came to India from Bangladesh in 2012 to monitor the activities of Jamaat-ul-Muhahideen Bangladesh (JuMB) recruits, investigators told HT on Monday.

Bengal police’s anti-terrorism squad arrested Sajid, also known as Borda within the terror group, on Saturday when he had gone to collect money from a city-based businessman.

“He is the kingpin of this group and his work was to pass instructions to other operatives,” an NIA official said.

“He had formed a vast network across unrecognised madrassas in the West Bengal-Bangladesh bordering districts and had stayed in several of them.”

Bangladesh authorities arrested Sajid in 2010 after which he stopped using a cellphone, fearing that it could help police trace his movements. He entered India in 2012 India through the Lalgola border at Burdwan.

Intelligence officials came to know of him during their investigation into the accidental October blast at Burdwan district that killed one militant and wounded another. Two women arrested from the blast spot, Rajira Bibi and Amina Bibi, told investigator’s about Sajid’s role in the operations. Amina’s husband Abdul Hakim, who was wounded in the blast and is now in NIA custody, also talked about his importance.

“Both women and Hakim gave information about Sajid, who would go to Simulia madrasa of Mangolkot to monitor how students were being given jihadi lessons,” said the NIA official.

Police also recovered some fake identity cards, one of which was in the name of

HE (SAJID) HAD FORMED A VAST NETWORK ACROSS UNRECOGNISED MADRASSAS IN THE WEST BENGAL-BANGLADESH BORDERING DISTRICTS AND HAD STAYED IN SEVERAL OF THEM

NIA OFFICIALS

Borhan Sheikh, a resident of Simulia of Burdwan who donated land to Sheikh Yusuf for a madrasa. The NIA, who arrested Yusuf, is now looking for Borhan.

Sajid was careful to protect his identity and frequently chang ed his address. “He would not stay at one place for more than 10-12 days and would always change his address,” the NIA official said.

“Many operatives never even saw him,” he added. “Sajid would call them up from phone booths whenever he had to talk to them.”

Sajid was hiding at Murshidabad at the time of the October blast and fled as soon as he saw the news on television. “He went to Jharkhand and stayed at a religious place. But he soon faced a financial crunch and talked to his contacts in Bangladesh, who sent money through hawala to a businessman in West Bengal,” the NIA source said.

The officer added that hawala racketeers were active in North 24 Parganas district and Sajid had collected money several times through this network.

However, luck ran out for the Burdwan master mind on Saturday. Investigators were waiting for him when he came to collect the money and arrested him.