Kolkata: The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police arrested an operative of terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who allegedly got training under Kausar, one of the key accused in Burdwan’s Khagragarh blast case of 2014, an officer said here on Tuesday.
“Asif Iqbal alias Nadeem (22), an active JMB member since 2017, was arrested from Kolkata’s Santragachi railway station at 6.20 p.m. on Monday. He was produced today (Tuesday) before the court, which remanded him to 15-day police custody till March 5,” an STF officer said.
According to the STF, he was part of the conspiracy hatched to secure Kausar’s escape on the way from court to the Presidency Correctional Home.
Charges of criminal conspiracy (IPC 120B) and aiding escape of state prisoner from lawful custody (IPC 130) has been slapped on him.
Nadeem, a resident of Kulgachi village in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, allegedly visited Chennai in 2017 and got training under Kausar.
He was involved in some cases of dacoities in Bengaluru. He came to Santragachi station on Monday (February 18) and was subsequently arrested by a team of STF, the official said.
The STF on Saturday had arrested another JMB operative, Ariful Islam, from central Kolkata’s Babughat area. He was said to be involved in last year’s Bodh Gaya blast.
Police said he was also working on securing escape of Kausar.
–IANS
