Burdwan blast's Bangladeshi mastermind Sajid arrested

In a major breakthrough in the Burdwan blast case, West Bengal Police Saturday arrested Bangladeshi citizen Sk. Rahamatulla alias Sajid, described as the chief of the Burdwan module, from near the Dum Dum airport here.

"We arrested Sk. Rahamatullah alias Sajid from Jessore Road (under the airport police station). He is a resident of Narayanganj in Bangladesh. Preliminary interrogation revealed he was connected with the blast and was heading the Burdwan module. The NIA has also said so and had also announced a Rs.10 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest," Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told media persons.

The 33-year-old Sajid, a senior leader of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was staying near Lalgola Madrassa in Mukimnagar in Murshidabad district, ahead of the Oct 2 blast inside a house at Khagragarh in Burdwan town, around 100 km from Kolkata.

Commissionerate officers said Sajid had spent many years in jail in Bangladesh.

The accidental bomb explosion had left two suspected JMB militants dead and another injured and broke the story on the most sensational jihadi terrorist conspiracy in the state in recent times.

"According to unconfirmed reports, Sajid is also a member of the majlis-e-shura (central committee) of the JMB," he said.

Sajid was picked up around 2.30 p.m. after police intercepted a courier who was supposed to hand over Rs.1 lakh to him.

"The Anti-Terrorism Squad team was following information about some illegal monetary transaction connected to terror funding. Our men intercepted a courier when he was receiving the money. They then managed to convince him to call Sajid. We laid a trap and rounded him up," Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.

The money has been seized.

Sajid was arrested under section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (when police can arrest a person without a warrant) a day after the NIA nabbed his close associate and key 'jihadi motivator' Zia-ul-Haque from northern West Bengal's Malda district in connection with the blast.

Sajid would be handed over later to the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the blast.

Commissionerate officers refused to give details about the findings.

"Interrogation is on. We can't reveal more about the operational details now. Because then the operation may be in jeopardy," an official said.