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As Bengal slept, Bangladeshi terrorists made south India their playground

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Bengaluru, Aug 10: The investigations into the January 2018 Bodhgaya blast has thrown up a very interesting sequence of events. First and foremost it was masterminded by a Bangladeshi terrorist against whom a death warrant was issued.

As Bengal slept, Bangladeshi terrorists made south India their playground

Secondly, the probe suggests that the incident at Bodhgaya was to rake up the Rohingya cause in India. Thirdly, the probe shows how terrorists from both Bengal and Bangladesh have made south India their playground.

Bodhgaya blasts: Attack was to avenge Rohingya atrocitiesBodhgaya blasts: Attack was to avenge Rohingya atrocities

The case on hand:

The National Investigation had earlier this week arrested Mohammad Zahidul Islam alias Munna from a hideout near Bengaluru. NIA officials tell OneIndia that his arrest was carried out as investigations showed that he was the mastermind of the Bodhgaya incident.

The NIA got information about Islam following the arrest of Abdul Karim, a resident of Murshidabad and Mustafizur Rehman a resident of Birbhum, West Bengal. The duo were arrested from Mallapuram, when they hiding in a camp meant for Bengali speaking people.

The probe revealed that Islam was familiar with the Mallapuram camp and visited it several times. It was in fact he who made arrangements for the other accused persons to stay in this camp.

Bodh Gaya blast probe shows how terrorists from Bengal seek shelter in KeralaBodh Gaya blast probe shows how terrorists from Bengal seek shelter in Kerala

The larger conspiracy:

The arrest of Islam is a major breakthrough. He is an expert in bomb blasts and officials suspect that he had even trained the other accused in making the IEDs. In fact in Bangladesh, he was involved in several serial blast cases and also the attack on a police van in Trishal. He escaped from Bangladesh in 2014 and entered India through West Bengal, where he stayed for a while before re-grouping his JMB module.

In Bengal, he decided that he should carry out a series of attacks both in India as well as Bangladesh. He was part of the Burdwan module, which was in the process of preparing 500 bombs.

Bodhgaya bombs: JMB's West Bengal module behind incidentBodhgaya bombs: JMB's West Bengal module behind incident

In Bengal, he set up several modules in Burdwan, Nadia and Murshidabad. These were very active modules. Over the past year, he decided to spread his operations down south.

Officials say that his intentions of coming down to south along with his module members was not just restricted to find a safe hiding spot. They were in the process of setting up modules and the JMB already has dedicated sleeper cells in Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala.

The issue he was planning to rake up was the cause of the Rohingyas, who are in good numbers in Hyderabad. The JMB has been in touch with several Rohingyas spread across the various camps in India. Their main target was however the ones in Southern India, an Intelligence Bureau official says.

Dressed as a monk, how 'Black Beauty' bombed the holy shrine at BodhgayaDressed as a monk, how 'Black Beauty' bombed the holy shrine at Bodhgaya

After his entry into India, his activities went completely unchecked for nearly 4 years. This time was used by Islam to go about the country setting up or re-activating his modules.

When he was arrested in Bengaluru, the NIA recovered from him electronic devices and explosives, which is a clear indicator that he was planning a big attack down south. He had even asked his accomplices in Mallapura to lie low and await instructions, officials also say.

NIA officials say that his interrogation is still on and they are confident that the larger conspiracy would be revealed soon.

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