3 Burdwan blast accused to be tried in Kolkata soon

GUWAHATI: Three prime accused in the Burdwan blast case, who were arrested from lower Assam, will be taken to Kolkata soon for being produced before a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court. The court has issued a production warrant for Sahanur Alom, Saikhul Islam and Rofikul Islam, on or before January 3, 2015.
Additional DG (Special Branch) of Assam Police Pallab Bhattacharya said, “All of them are now in judicial custody.After completion of the judicial process, the NIA will take them to West Bengal for further probe into their role in the Burdwan blast.”
The NIA and the special operations unit (SOU) of Assam Police have so far nabbed at least 12 people in the state in connection with their alleged nexus with Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and the Burdwan blast.
At present, Guwahati Central Jail authorities here, along with NIA officials, are working on the transit remand. Besides Sahanur, who is a key member of the JMB module in Assam, Shaikul Islam is believed to be an active member of the Islamic fundamentalist group. Assam Police claimed that Shaikhul alias Abdulla was an associate of Shakil, the deceased in the Burdwan blast, who had visited Barpeta in the guise of a garment trader to promote the cause of jihad among Muslims.
“Shakil had allegedly instructed Shaikhul to act as a sleeper cell member of the JMB in Barpeta to look for potential youth to join jihad. Shaikhul had received training in jihad in Simulia madrassa of Burdwan and another madrassa in Murshidabad,” said Assam Police director general Khagen Sarma.
Rafikul is also suspected to be an active member of JMB in the state. All the three accused are from lower Assam’s Barpeta district.
On the other hand, police have confirmed that they have arrested a close associate of Sahanur from Barpeta district on Monday. He was picked up late on Sunday evening. He has been indentified as Nazmul Islam. “Nazmul is a close associate of Sahanur. We are quizzing him. He will be produced before the CJM court on Tuesday,” an SOU official said.
Nazmul’s name surfaced following the arrest of JMB member Nurjamal Haque, who guided police to Panpara village in Barpeta district on Sunday, where a consignment of explosives was buried under a banana tree.
“Haque said one Fulbor Ali had given him the bombs. We are looking for Ali who is on the run. There are reports of another consignment of explosives stashed at an undisclosed location. Police are looking for it,” added ADG Bhattacharya.