Kolkata: A top Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorist was arrested Friday by police in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal Friday. The terrorist was allegedly involved in the 2018 Bodh Gaya blast case and was hiding in Murshidabad. He was nabbed early Friday morning, a senior police officer said.
The special task force (STF) unit of the Kolkata Police along with Murshidabad district police and local officers were involved in the operations. They arrested Abdul Karim alias Boro Karim, one of the JMB’s top operatives in the country from Suti town, the officer said.
“He had provided shelter to JMB leaders from Bangladesh, who were directly involved in the Bodh Gaya blast. He was arrested this morning from Suti police station area of Murshidabad district,” the officer said.
In 2018, the STF unit had seized a huge quantity of explosives and ‘jihadi’ material from his house in Murshidabad. Karim could not be traced back then.
Police sources said Karim has not been named by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) in the Bodh Gaya blast case chargesheet. However, he has been under scanner for a while.
“He (Karim) is among the top three JMB operatives wanted in India. We have been looking for him for quite some time. He will be produced before a local court today and we will seek his police custody,” added another official.
A low-intensity bomb had exploded January 19, 2018 in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. The explosion happened hours after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama had finished a sermon at the Mahabodhi temple. The NIA had earlier arrested five people in connection with the case.
Agencies