BENGALURU: Mohammed Jahidul Islam alias Kausar, top leader of Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in India, who was arrested from Ramanagaram on Sunday night by sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is being quizzed by police of three states. It is suspected that three-four of his close associates are still at large in Karnataka.
Sources said 38-year-old Islam, who is the mastermind in the Bodh Gaya and Burdwan blast cases, was interrogated by officials of the NIA, Internal Security Division (ISD), Karnataka, and teams from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh police. “He is being questioned about his close associates, who are believed to be absconding in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. But he is not giving out any information,” a senior police officer said. It is also said he had been planning to carry out blasts at places with large gatherings in South India. However, no official sources confirmed this.
The NIA confirmed that Islam, who had been operating under aliases Munna, Mizan and Boma Miyan, was the top leader of JMB in India, and is wanted in Burdwan blast and many other cases in Bangladesh too. “He is the mastermind in the Bodh Gaya case too. On his directions, Mustafizur Rehman alias Shahin, who is his close associate, arranged and assembled all the explosives,” the NIA said.
Shahin alias Tuhin (37), a resident of Birbhum district in West Bengal, was arrested from Malappuram in Kerala on Sunday in connection with the planting of IED at Bodh Gaya complex on January 19. Along with him, Abdul Karim alias Chhota (19), a resident Murshidabad, was also arrested. The duo were arrested from a labour camp of Bengali-speaking persons in Malappuram district. Searches were conducted at the hideouts of these two accused and incriminating materials were recovered.
The NIA, which searched Islam’s house in Trup Lane Road in Ramanagaram, has seized some electronic devices besides traces of explosives during the search. “He was produced before the Special Court for NIA Cases in Bengaluru which sent him to five days of transit remand. He will now be produced before the Special NIA Court, Patna,” an official release by NIA stated. Even on Monday night, the NIA officials searched Kausar’s house and seized some material.
Kausar link between Indian Mujahideen and JMB
Kausar had close links with Riaz Bhatkal and other top leaders of India-based terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. “Probe so far has established that Kausar was in contact with Bhatkal and worked as a bridge between the Indian Mujahideen and JMB. They were working together and even in the Bodh Gaya incident, the role of both outfits was established,” an officer said.