BENGALURU: He had not only used Bengaluru as the perfect hideout after his escape after the Burdwan blast in 2014, the alleged Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorist Mohammed Jahidul Islam (38) had also used the city to assemble improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to execute subversive activities in South India, said official sources in the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Mohammed alias Kausar alias Munir Sheikh alias Munna alias Mizan alias Boma Miyan was arrested by the NIA from Ramanagara near Bengaluru in August this year. He has been in the their custody since September 19. Based on his custodial interrogation, the NIA has reportedly seized a lot of incriminating material such as grenades — two cuboid-shaped batteries which were wrapped with plastic tape, electrical wire, one capacitor, three switches, one micro lithium cell, one transparent plastic box containing black-coloured chemical wrapped in a white paper, gloves, some identity cards, rent agreement of one of the hideouts, one digital camera, and some silver articles, which he had looted during dacoities in Bengaluru, from his rented house in Electronics City,” said the agency spokesperson.
This is the second haul of explosives collected by JMB cadres, which was seized by the agency from Bengaluru. In July, the NIA had recovered five fabricated hand grenades, one-timer device, three electric circuits, suspected explosive substance, components used for making IEDs and rockets and several incriminating material from a rented house in Soladevanahalli area in north Bengaluru.
“Kausar led the NIA officers to places where he had stayed in Bengaluru — Attibele, Kadugodi, KR Puram, Chikkbanavara, Shikaripalya and Electronics City,” said the officer. He later took the NIA team to some places in Krishnagiri hill in Krishnagiri District on Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, from where he and his other JMB accomplices — Habibur, Arif, Fahim alias Fahad had test fired three rocket shells during June and October 2017, the officer said. Kausar also took the NIA team to a place, where they had concealed remnants of the third test fired rocket shell. These were seized by the NIA,” added the officer.