4 more JMB operatives held in India

India's National Investigation Agency yesterday arrested four more alleged members and recruiters of outlawed Jama'at-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is linked to the October 2 Burdwan blast.

The four -- Dalim Sheikh alias Faijul Hoque Sheikh, Motiur Rehman alias Noor Alam, Habibur Rehman and Ghiyasuddin Munshi -- were arrested in different areas of West Bengal and have been put on remand by a Kolkata court.

With the latest arrests, the NIA has so far held 16 people including suspected mastermind Sajid, who is a Bangladeshi citizen, in connection with the blast.

The NIA took over the case from West Bengal police in October after international links started surfacing behind the mysterious blast inside a house on October 2 last year that left one dead and another seriously wounded.

The NIA said they had learned that improvised explosive devices were being manufactured at that house and smuggled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Giving details about yesterday's arrest, the NIA in a statement said Dalim Sheikh was a "full-time member" of JMB and was involved in setting up bases and hideouts, raising and collecting funds, radicalising youths and providing tactical and material support to their senior Bangladeshi members of JMB in spreading their network in India.

Motiur Rehman was a close associate of Shakil Gazi, who was killed in the October 2 blast at Beldanga in Murshidabad. He was allegedly the main person who used to maintain hideouts and training and bomb-making centres at Beldanga in Murshidabad, it added.

Habibur Rehman was a very close associate of Sajid, who was arrested earlier by the NIA. He allegedly used to maintain and run a terrorist training camp being run from Mukimnagar Madarsa in Murshidabad, the statement read.

Ghiyasuddin Munshi allegedly joined JMB with his wife and had undergone training with the outfit. He was allegedly engaged in providing safe shelter and hideouts and other facilities to senior Bangladeshi members of JMB.

According to the NIA, JMB members have so far established their network in different places like Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Birbhum, Bhurdman of West Bengal, Barpetta of Assam, and Sahibganj and Pakur of Jharkhand.

The investigators also claimed senior JMB members had established training centres and bomb-making units in Beldanga and Mukimnagar of Murshidabad, Nanur of Birbhum and Khagraghar and Simulia of Burdwan district.

A court in Kolkata has meanwhile put the four arrestees on remand in NIA custody till February 3.

NIA counsel Shyamal Ghosh told the Metropolitan Court of Chief Judge Md Mumtaz Khan that the four were members of Bangladeshi terror outfit JMB who had taken arms and explosive training from experts.

He sought 10 days' remand in NIA custody so that investigators could unearth details of their involvement and other members and associates.

Ghosh also prayed for extension of NIA remand for Rezaul Karim, who had been arrested earlier in connection with the Burdwan blast, claiming he was a member of JMB and was involved in a conspiracy against India.

It was also claimed that Karim, a prized catch, had purchased raw materials for manufacturing improvised explosive devices.

No lawyer appeared for any of the accused.

An accidental blast in Burdwan while making explosives devices led to unearthing a major terror activity by JMB militants.