HYDERABAD: A Myanmar national, Khalid Mohammed alias Khaleed, one of the accused in the Burdwan blast case and an alleged militant of the Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) here on Monday.
Khalid, trained by the dreaded Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistan Taliban in short, is said to be a member of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) — an off-shoot of the JUM. What has set the alarm bells ringing among the State police is the ease with which Khalid managed to obtain Aadhaar and Voter ID cards by submitting fake documents and greasing the palms of State government officials plus the fact that he had been staying in relative comfort with his family at the Royal Colony near the Balapur Dargah for the last one year.
According to NIA officials, the 28-year-old is an expert in making improvised explosive devises and has links with Pakistan and Bangladesh-based terror groups. In fact, he reportedly ran terror camps in areas bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar. The NIA sleuths found videos (on bomb-making) and literature on poisons, jihad and the ISIS at his residence.
“He trained at camps conducted by the Tehreek-e-Azadi Arakan with trainers from the TTP. He was found without valid travel documents. Further investigation is on,” the NIA said. He will be produced in court Wednesday and is likely to be taken to West Bengal on a prisoner transit warrant.
Sources said Khalid’s arrest is just the tip of the iceberg.
By his own admission, Khalid has trained five batches, each comprising five members, in preparation of directional mines, landmines and grenades among other explosive devices. Whether some of these trained jihadis are from Hyderabad still remains a million dollar question.
Significantly, the seizure of ISIS literature from Khalid is said to have given new leads to the sleuths about some wannabe ISIS militants in the country. The suspected terrorist reportedly told his interrogators: “Main gareeb hoon, saab. Pakistani bulaye, training di, bombs banana sikhaya aur kaha ki Burma ke khilaaf lado Arakan ke liberation ke liye.”
Sources told Express Khalid left his native, Moungdow in Arakan of Myanmar, last year after a series of clashes between the Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. “Some from the TTP got in touch with me and several hundreds of Rohingyas offered training to fight the Burmese government,” he told the NIA.
Khalid came to India last year from the porous border and went straight to Jammu and Kashmir. Later he went to Delhi and ended up in Hyderabad. In between, he travelled to West Bengal. The NIA has seized his mobile phone and laptop, which may give fresh leads on TTP and ISIS recruitments.
His story@a glance
Came from Bangladesh last yr
Expert in making grenades, directional mines and IEDs
Trained 25 youngsters in bomb-making
Trained by Pak Taliban
Had been staying at Royal Colony, Balapur, for the last one year
Obtained Aadhaar, Voter cards by bribing State govt officials
Accused in burdwan case; Ran terror camps at Bangla border