Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch, which is currently probing the cause of the August 11 riot and attacks on two police stations in the city, on Friday questioned another Congress corporator’s husband, suspected to have played a role in planning the riots. On Friday, Muneshwara Nagar ward’s Congress corporator, Sadija Syed’s husband Syed Nasir, was questioned. He was, however, not arrested but his mobile phone was seized and he was allowed to go.
Syed Nasir was questioned after Pulakeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy accused three of his own party’s corporators as conspirators of the riots in his complaint filed last week.
Last week, the CCB arrested Nagawara Congress corporator’s husband, Kaleem Pasha. He allegedly visited KG Halli Police Station on Tuesday evening, before the violence broke out and allegedly instigated the mob to resort to violence. However, he allegedly left the spot as soon as protesters began pelting stones at the police station.
On August 19, DJ Halli corporator and former Mayor of Bengaluru Sampath Raj was questioned for his alleged connection to the case. The investigating officers said that 11 WhatsApp calls were made within minutes of each other from Sampath Raj’s PA, Arun Raj’s phone to Social Democratic Party of India’s (SDPI’s) Bengaluru district president Muzzamil Pasha. However, Sampath Raj has denied any connection to the case.
The police arrested Arun Raj on August 18 after several rounds of questioning.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Sandeep Patil alleged that at least 27 people, who have been arrested in the riots and arson cases at DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations, had links to members of various terror outfits. Last week, the CCB arrested a self-proclaimed social worker from Bengaluru, Saimuddin, who is the founder of NGO Nazria Foundation.
Sandeep Patil said that Saimuddin allegedly had links to the accused, who were jailed for the murder of RSS worker Rudresh in Shivajinagar a few years ago.
“At least 27 other accused are linked to people arrested in various terror cases including the Church Street bomb blast and Malleshwaram bomb blast cases. Some of the accused in the riots case also visited these undertrials in prison on multiple occasions,” a senior police officer told TNM.