Bardhaman blast probe: NIA summons three from Chennai

Phone records reveal that they were in touch with the Bardhaman blast accused Phone records reveal they were in touch with the Bardhaman blast accused

October 15, 2014 12:55 am | Updated November 28, 2021 07:39 am IST - NEW DELHI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday summoned three persons from Chennai for interrogation in the Bardhaman blast case, after phone records revealed that they were in touch with the accused.

“At this stage, there is no concrete evidence to suggest their involvement. However, since their names have cropped up during the preliminary investigations, they have to be examined,” an official said.

Based on the phone records, the NIA found that the accused had links in almost all major cities, including those in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he said.

The NIA conducted searches in different parts of West Bengal on further leads in the case, allegedly involving members of Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen, a Bangladesh-based extremist group.

The agency also collected evidence from the Beldanga accommodation of Shakil Ahmed, who was killed in the October 2 blast. “Certain documents and metal pieces used in the making of the improvised explosive devices have been recovered,” said an official of the Union Home Ministry.

The NIA team and the West Bengal CID have also launched a search of the Simulia Madrassa, where the accused had been “radicalised” and initiated into terror activities.

The NIA has already taken custody of three of the 12 accused, and is trying to secure the custody of the others for joint interrogation with the West Bengal CID and intelligence sleuths.

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