Burdwan blast: NIA nabs key conspirator

In a prize catch, the NIA Monday nabbed a key Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant from West Bengal's Birbhum district for his role in the Burdwan blast case.

A key conspirator in the Oct 2 blast, Amjad Sheikh, a resident of Birbhum's Kirnahar, had taken shelter in Basti in Uttar Pradesh before his eventual return to his home state from where he was arrested.

The accidental blast in Khagragarh in Burdwan killed two JMB militants and injured another. Several people have been arrested and taken into custody in this connection.

Sheikh, who was arrested two days after JMB commander and the blast mastermind Sajid was nabbed by NIA, was instrumental in procuring explosives for making the improvised explosive devices.

"He was instrumental in procuring explosive chemicals and providing these to other co-conspirators for making IEDs. Soon after the blasts, NIA had raided his Kolkata house and recovered receipts and vouchers related to purchase of chemicals which were used in making the IEDs," the federal agency said.

The NIA claimed Sheikh was hiding in UP before returning to Bengal.

"Part of the top brass of JMB in India, Amjad absconded after the blast and visited New Delhi Oct 8, and from there he went to Basti in UP where he was provided shelter for few days by a police personnel. Ultimately, he went back to West Bengal from where he was arrested," it said.

Sheikh was also closely associated with the top JMB commanders who were running Jehadi training modules in two madarsas in Burdwan and carried a reward of Rs. 10 lakh announced by the NIA.