The National Investigation Agency announced the arrest of Adil, a close aide of 38-year-old Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh member and accused mastermind of the 2013 Bodh Gaya serial blasts case, Mohammed Jahidul Islam. Jahidul Islam was arrested by the agency on Monday.
The NIA arrested Adil alias Assadullah (29) from an auto stand near the Bengaluru Cantonment Station.
According to the NIA, the probe team recovered three mobile sets, bank pay in slips, hand-written notes in Bangla, and a notebook containing notes regarding chemical formulas for the preparation of improvised explosive devices (IED) while searching his personal belongings.
The agency is trying to secure a transit remand from a special NIA court in Bengaluru to produce him in the NIA court in Patna for the blast case hearing.
Jahidul Islam is a key accused in multiple terror cases in India and Bangladesh. He was nabbed by the NIA on August 6 from his residence in Ramanagara town, near Bengaluru. The NIA is set to produce him in the Special NIA court in Patna for the Bodh Gaya blasts case hearing — in which he is accused of being the mastermind.
A Bangladesh court had sentenced him to 95 years in prison, but he escaped custody in 2014 and illegally immigrated to West Bengal. He travelled to Kerala and then to Karnataka, where he has been residing since 2014.
Post the two arrests, sources in the state intelligence claimed that the duo’s nabbing prevented potential terror attacks in the city.
“It is also revealed that Zahidul Islam @ Kausar was residing in Bengaluru since 2014 at different places on rent and was selling clothes etc. as hawker to conceal his identity. At the time of arrest he was residing as a tenant at Ramanagar, situated in the outer periphery of Bengaluru. He is an expert in making IEDs and circuit designs. Initial interrogation has also revealed that the group led by Zahidul Islam @ Kausar planned to cause IEDs explosion at Bodh Gaya to avenge the atrocities on Rohingyas in Myanmar,” an NIA release said.
A total of seven arrests have been made across the country with relation to the Bodh Gaya blasts case since August 6, the probe body said.
It had found electronic devices including traces of explosives from Zahidul Islam’s house at Ramanagara, the NIA had earlier said.