NIA: 4 arrested, 3 cases solved
The Patna serial blasts had been carried out with a clear view to eliminate Prime Minister- elect Narendra Modi, the NIA investigation of the bombings of last October has revealed. The National Investigation Agency has now arrested four persons, including a juvenile, in this case.
Those arrested by the NIA included Hyder Ali, alias “Black Beauty”, who is said to the mastermind, Mojibullah, Numan Ansari, and a juvenile whose identity cannot be disclosed. All the accused have links with both the Indian Mujahideen and SIMI, the NIA claims.
NIA director- general Sharad Kumar described the arrest as a “big success”, claiming that with these arrests the Patna case had been solved. IM and SIMI had hatched a conspiracy to harm Mr Modi during his election campaign and had reconnoitred different places, including Akbarpur, Kanpur ( UP), Delhi and Patna.
The terror module, Mr Kumar added, did dry runs at these venues to see how they could get close to Mr Modi. But the terror operatives could not get very close due to stringent security arrangements at the rally venues.
But, at the Patna rally venue, they did manage to place a bomb barely 100 metres from the dais. It did not explode and was subsequently defused. The NIA had also announced a reward of ` 5 lakh for information leading to the capture of the accused.
NIA sources claimed the same terror module was also involved in the Bodh Gaya temple blast as well as in Dilsukhnagar in Hyderababd. Thus, the NIA claimed, it had solved the Bodh Gaya and Hyderabad blasts cases as well.
NIA director- general Sharad Kumar attributed the arrests of four accused persons in the October 2013 Patna serial blasts case to “excellent coordination” between NIA, Central intelligence agencies and the police forces of Bihar, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.
The alleged mastermind, Hyder Ali, had been on the radar of intelligence agencies ever since the arrest of Tehseen Akhthar, alias Monu, the head IM’s India operations. But those arrested are from what is now known as the Ranchi module of SIMI.
“We have unravelled the entire conspiracy. However, further interrogation of the accused will be done to obtain more information,” the NIA chief said. The Bodh Gaya blasts were carried out in retaliation to the “atrocities done on Rohingyas” in Myanmar, he added.
Investigations revealed Ali was the “kingpin” and was in touch with his “handlers” overseas from where he received money via the hawala route.
After the Patna blasts, these people had been in hiding under different identities. “Now all those places will be checked,” Mr Kumar said. He added Ali and Mojibullah were arrested from Ranchi and, based on their questioning, two more accused were arrested at Daltonganj ( Jharkhand) with the help of the local superintendent of police, who personally supervised the operation.
“Their interrogation till now reveals their plans to recruit young boys for their organisation from Jharkhand, Bihar and UP with a view to attack vital installations and important personalities,” the NIA officials said.
The NIA chief said it would be wrong to assume that the IM was finished though they suffered considerable damage and their remaining cadre were, for now, totally demoralised.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the NIA DG said investigations into the role of right- wing groups will continue. He said work on these cases was already on at different stages and that the investigations will continue.