The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police arrested a member of terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on Sunday night from Bandel Railway Station in Hooghly district of West Bengal. STF officers claim that 57-year-old Hazibulla, a resident of Samsherganj of Murshidabad district, played a pivotal role in the Bodh Gaya blast earlier this year during Dalai Lama's visit.
"He had helped in procuring explosive that was used by JMB cadre in Bodh Gaya mines," said DC (STF) Murlidhar Sharma.
STF sources said that Hazibullah had been hiding in Hooghly for some time and was working as a recruitment agent for the terror outfit in the district. Another Bangladeshi resident, Noor Alam, had been arrested recently in the case. Based on information availed from him, Hazibulla was arrested.
Hazibullah was presented at the court on Monday and has been sent for 14 days in police custody. STF officers said they are hoping to extract further information from him during the interrogation.
He has been charged with section 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war), 121A (conspiracy to wage war), and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Explosive Act.
On January 19, a blast took place at Kalchakra ground in Bodh Gaya. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team had visited the place to investigate. Later, police arrested two – Paigambar Sk and Jamirul Sk — from Murshidabad and Darjeeling, respectively, and a huge cache of explosives and other equipment were recovered from their possession.
STF said Hazibulla was present with them at the time and that they had been on his lookout for a long time. STF sources said they had received a tip-off on the terrorist coming to Bandel Station. Based on the intel, he was arrested at 9 pm on Sunday from the ticket counter.
