The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested one more accused in connection with the seizure of electronic detonators and explosives from a person in West Bengal’s Birbhum last year, taking the total arrests in the case to eight.
The accused named Islam Chowdhary is a resident of Birbhum. He was picked up from his residence from where the NIA seized ₹1.50 lakh in cash, bank transaction documents, paper slips bearing mobile numbers, SIM cards and three mobile phones, said the agency.
The NIA zeroed in on Mr. Chowdhary based on the purported disclosures made by two other accused, identified as Merajuddin Ali Khan and Mir Mohammed Nuruzzaman, who were arrested on June 28. The agency found that Mr. Chowdhary was a “key conspirator and facilitator in the supply of the explosives”.
On June 29, 2022, a team of the West Bengal Special Task Force initially seized around 81,000 electric detonators from a vehicle in the Mohammed Bazar area of Birbhum. The vehicle’s driver, Ashish Keora, was arrested. Subsequent searches had led to the seizure of 2,525 more electric detonators, 27,000 kg of ammonium nitrate and 1,625 kg of gelatin sticks from an illegal godown.
The case was taken over by the NIA in September 2022. On June 28, it raided an illegal godown of another accused, Manoj Ghosh, and seized one pistol, along with ammunition, 130 gelatin sticks weighing 16.25 kg, and one bag containing 50 kg of ammonium nitrate. In July, Mr. Ghosh was arrested from Bahadurpur in West Bengal.
