NIA targeted by saboteurs?

Sources said subversive elements wanted to prevent the NIA from unearthing sinister module

Specific intelligence reports reaching the Centre suggest that the National Investigation Agency’s team probing the Burdwan blast is facing a serious threat from subversive elements.

Sources said even though the investigating team had been provided adequate security cover by para- military and local police, the high threat perception seemingly proves that the Burdwan terror module had probably managed to establish a good network within the state; and subversive elements may want to prevent security agencies from busting the entire module.

The NIA along with other Central intelligence agencies has been working overtime on this particular case having already recovered a large amount of explosives after raids on a number of madarsas in the region.

Intelligence sources said the reason why so much importance was being attached to the case was due to the fact that an active terror module with links in both India and Bangladesh had come to light.

The investigation has also for the first time revealed the presence of Jamaat- ul- Mujahideen in the country.

It is also suspected that the Jamaat may already have set up some more modules within West Bengal with the help of outfits like Indian Mujahideen and the SIMI and these elements may try and subvert investigations into the case now.

The case has serious security ramifications for both India and Bangladesh due to which intelligence agencies of the two countries are said to be working in close co- ordination on the case.

It is suspected that some of the key suspects may have escaped to Bangladesh after the incident came to light.

Sources said Indian agencies had shared some information with their Bangladesh counterparts to zero in on the key conspirators of the case.

Investigations had already confirmed that there was a conspiracy by the Burdwan module to convert West Bengal into a major terror hub for carrying out terror activities in different parts of the country.

The conspiracy however, got nipped in the bud following an accidental blast in the house of one of the main conspirators, Shakil, who also died in the incident. Following the incident, security along the porous Indo- Bangladesh border was also beefed up. Since the blast, the BSF had deployed additional men for patrolling along the border to check crossing over of subversive elements, sources added.