ISI behind train derailments, NIA finds merit in Bihar Police's claim

In an interesting turn of events, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed that there is  prima facie evidence pointing towards the connection of ISI in the failed Ghorasahan track blasting attempt and the Indore-Patna Express derailment case. The Bihar Police had earlier noted the sabotage plot. 

At present, the NIA is probing three railway mishap cases–the failed attempt to blow up East Champaran tracks, Kanpur derailment case and Koneru accident. The agency will now further investigate the matter, a report published in The Times of India, said. 

Earlier in January, the Bihar Police had arrested three persons in connection with the IED recovered on Ghorasahan railway track in October 2016. During the police questioning, one of the arrested individuals said ISI was behind the derailment of the fourteen coaches of Indore-Patna Express near Pukhrayan in Kanpur.

The Bihar Police claimed that the trio, identified as Moti Paswan, Uma Shankar and Mukesh Yadav were paid at least Rs 3 lakh each by ISI agent Brij Giri for planting IEDs at East Champaran tracks and the Kanpur-Patna route to derail major trains. 

Giri, based in Nepal, is allegedly funded by Dubai-based ISI handler Shamshul Huda. Huda is an alleged faked Indian currency notes (FICN) operator of the ISI. 

During the investigation, the police reportedly found that Uma Shankar had spoken to Huda and another Karachi-based ISI suspect Shafi Shaikh in Dubai in August. He was allegedly sent by Giri. They did not specify any particular area and conspired to cause train mishaps across the country, in general. 

“There are no contradictions whatsoever in what they had told the Bihar police earlier and now our own investigators. They seem to be very sure of and consistent in their 'disclosures'," TOI quoted a Home Ministry official as saying. 

"Also, technical evidence points to conversations between the arrested accused on the one hand and Nepalese handler Brij Kishore Giri, Dubai-based mastermind Shamsul Huda and Karachi-based suspected ISI agent Shafi Shaikh on the other, lending credence to the ISI involvement theory,“ the official added. 

Now, NIA will seek custody of the three accused and others arrested in Delhi for exhaustive investigation. The agency will also seek access to the accused arrested by the Nepal Police, including Giri, for questioning. It may initiate the proceedings for their extradition to face interrogation and trial in India.

NIA also plans to seek custody of Huda and Shaikh, reports suggest. 

For the probe, NIA will take the accused to the Kanpur derailment site and establish the sequence of events which led to the alleged pressure cooker bomb attack, establish any money trail of payments for execution of the conspiracy and dig out technical evidence, including mobile network details. 

While 150 passengers were killed in the Indore-Patna Express derailment case, 200 people were injured. The Hirakhand Express mishap near Kuneru in Andhra Pradesh claimed 39 lives.

The Railway department said cases of man-made obstructions were discovered at Malda and Dhanbad divisions by railway staff recently which foiled major derailments.