Bihar police to bring terror suspect from Karnataka

A Bihar Police team was Tuesday sent to Karnataka to bring Ayesha Bano, arrested by police there on charges of providing financial help to the terror suspects involved in the Patna serial blasts, officials said.

"After Ayesha Bano was arrested at Mangalore airport, a police team was sent to Karnataka to bring her to Lakhisarai," a police official said.

Ayesha, a resident of Mercara in Karnataka's Coorg district, converted to Islam after her marriage. She, along with her family, lived in Panjimogeru, six km from Mangalore.

At least seven people, including a suspected bomber, were killed and nearly 100 injured in the blasts ahead of the Oct 27 rally by the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Police in Lakhisarai strongly suspect Ayesha Bano's involvement in funding the activities leading to the Patna blasts.

Following a tip-off from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Bihar Police arrested five people -- four from Lakhisarai and one from Dhanbad in Jharkhand -- on charges of providing financial help to terror suspects in connection with the Patna blasts.

Bihar Police are investigating a possible link with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency with the five arrested suspects and any link with the Indian Mujahideen terror outfit.