Burdwan blast: Key accused sent to NIA custody

A court here on Sunday sent Abdul Wahab Momin, a key accused in the Burdwan blast, to custody of the NIA till March 31.

One of the absconding accused in the case in which militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is suspected to be involved, Momin was arrested on Saturday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the city.

He was presented before the Sessions Court of Chief Judge Mohammad Mumtaz Khan which sent him to 10 days custody of the NIA.

Contending that Momin was involved in facilitating shelter for JMB members in West Bengal, the NIA counsel said his custody was essential to extract information about other absconding accused.

A resident of Samsherganj in Murshidabad district, Momin was nabbed from Sealdah in the city on Saturday evening.

The accidental blast took place at a house in Khagragarh in Burdwan district on October 2, killing two JMB militants and injuring another.

Probing the blast, the NIA has arrested 18 people, mostly Bangladeshis from various parts of the country as well as Dhaka.

The agency claimed that its investigation has so far showed that the JMB had established its network in many districts -- particularly in Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Birbhum and Burdwan in Bengal, Barpeta in Assam, and Sahibganj and Pakur in Jharkhand.

As many as 15 people suspected to be involved in the case are absconding.

The NIA took over the probe a few days after the explosion.