Kolkata: In a fresh development in the arrest of three Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) suspects, Kolkata Police Special Task Force officer found out that they were allegedly receiving specific instructions from one of the most-wanted terror masterminds in Bangladesh, Mohammed Zia. One of the officers on condition of anonymity said that it was this Zia, who had sent in the instructions for the trio to cross borders and set up a cell in Kolkata.
“We have got several clues from the seized materials from the three arrested youths. Some of the incriminating materials have close semblance with those materials, which were seized after the Khagragarh blast in Bardhaman. It was then that the presence of JMB activists was first confirmed in the state. We are working in close coordination with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in this case. We have also received some very good leads from the NIA and are working on them,” said one of the officers in the knowhow of the investigation.
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According to sources, the crackdown of the Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Bureau (CTIB) of Bangladesh in that country against known terror outfits has already made life difficult for many leaders of banned outfits in the neighbouring country, including that of the JMB. With the ground level operatives going astray, there is a concerted effort of regrouping, which is presently underway. National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers have already informed the STF officers as well as the West Bengal Police about suspected movements along with the extremely porous Indo-Bangla border along with the state.
“Once our investigation and related interrogation are over, the NIA would be questioning the trio for more information. We hope that leads available from the three will be crucial in both the ongoing investigation as well as the overall vigil against terror elements operating out of border states like West Bengal,” the officer said adding the arrested trio could be subjected to interrogation making them sit in front of the arrested JMB operatives of the Khagragarh case.
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The STF of the Kolkata Police arrested three suspects identified as Naziur Rahman Pavel alias Joseph, Mikhail Khan alias Shiekh Sabbir and Rabiul Islam, from a house in Haridevpur area in the southern fringes of the city on July 10. Police said that the three were residents of the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh and were staying in the house impersonating as relatives of a patient admitted at Thakurpukur Cancer Hospital.
Firearms, mobile phone handsets, Indian identity cards and documents related to JMB and its functioning were seized from the three. Acting on a tip-off, after interrogating the three, the police officers of North 24 Parganas district, arrested Lalu Sen alias Rahul Kumar, an associate of the trio, from Basirhat area. Lalu, police said.
