Nepal businessman held for plotting train attacks

In one of the worst rail accidents in the country, about 150 people were killed in the incident.

Police officers in Nepal have confirmed that businessman Shamshul Hoda, who was arrested on Saturday in Kathmandu, was involved in an aborted attempt at setting off a train accident in Ghorasahan and a low intensity explosion at Nakardehi, both in Bihar.

However, they are dismissive of other claims by Indian agencies of Mr. Hoda’s links to other recent train derailments and that he was working on behalf of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Mr. Hoda was arrested in the Nepal capital on his return from Dubai.

Superintendent of Police, Nepal, Arun Kumar Kushwaha told

The Hindu , “Hoda, who was in Dubai for two-three years, was wanted in a double murder case here. He was acting on the instructions of a person named Shafi in Dubai but he is not saying if Shafi worked for Pakistan’s ISI. We have no proof so far that Hoda was working for ISI.”

Last month, based on information obtained during the interrogation of three persons by the Nepal police, Bihar police arrested Moti Paswan, Uma Shanker Patel and Mukesh Yadav. The trio claimed that they had planted a powerful bomb, packed in pressure cooker, on the railway track in Ghorasahan in East Champaran district on October 1 on the instructions of the ISI. The IED was defused by the police. Paswan also allegedly told the police that the ISI was involved in the Kanpur train accident on November 20 and that he and two others had travelled to the accident site to place the IED.

However, Uttar Pradesh DGP Javeed Ahmed had earlier told

The Hindu that the claims of the three accused from Bihar could not be corroborated and that preliminary investigations by U.P. police did not find any trace of explosives on the tracks.

On being asked about the claims made by the Bihar Police that Pakistan’s ISI was involved in the recent train accidents, Mr. Kushwaha said, “I do not know how they are making these claims. They must have done their own investigations but Hoda has said he did not know about the affiliation of the group or outfit for which Shafi was working.” Mr. Hoda has emerged as a key catch for the NIA, which is probing the “terror” angle in the Kanpur train accident and in the January 21 derailment at Kuneru which left 41 dead.