NIA arrests three suspects with terror links from East Champaran(see video)

Sagar Suraj

MOTIHARI: In a raid conducted by the national investigation agency on Saturday, three suspects stated to be residents of Kuawan village under  Chakia police station area in east champaran district in Bihar were picked up. The arrested suspects are said to be associated with outlawed terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) .

East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Kantesh Mishra confirmed the NIA raid in the district. “Three suspects were arrested for joint interrogation by Bihar police and NIA in an undisclosed location”. Motihari police have extended active help to the raiding team.

Sources said that RiyaJ Maroof - one of the suspects was closely associated with the terror module of Phulwarisharif (Patna), which was unearthed last year. It is yet to be verified the names of the arrested suspects stated to have terror connections.

The NIA team also conducted a raid at Riyaz's house in Kunwawa village. “Riyaz's ancestral house was also searched by the NIA. Several incriminating documents were recovered from his house during the search operation,” said a police officer posted at Chakia police station.

Notably, Four members of PFI were arrested from Phulwarisharif during a raid conducted by Patna police following intelligence inputs from the central investigating agency in July last year. Documents related to PFI's conspiracy to turn India into an Islamic country by 2047 were also recovered during the raid.

The case was later handed over to the NIA, which started its probe. In January this year, NIA filed a charge sheet against the four accused before the NIA special court of Patna.

They were booked on charges of hatching a criminal conspiracy with intent to carry out acts of terror and violence, leading to an atmosphere of terror and endangering the unity and integrity of the nation.

Indo-Nepal border has always been a vulnerable and safe hideout for anti-India elements. Few years ago, co- founder of Indian Hijbul Mujahidin Yasin Bhatkal and one of his associates were arrested from this border. He was accused in the Hyderabad and Mumbai Bomb blast case.

Delhi Police also arrested Abdul Karim Tunda, one of India’s top 20 wanted terrorists, and mastermind of over 40 bombings in India, from the Banwasa-Mehendarnagar border with Nepal. The 70-year-old Tunda, an expert bomb-maker of terror outfit LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba), was one of 20 terrorists India had demanded the Pakistani Government to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Police said Tunda was wanted in 21 cases in Delhi alone that were committed in 1994 and in 1996-1998. To little surprise, he was carrying a Pakistani passport –No AC 4413161 issued on 23 January, 2013, in the name of Abdul Quddus.