Links between Telangana bank robbery and Burdwan blast being probed: NIA

Hyderabad, Oct 24: NIA is probing "link" between October 2 blast in Burdwan district of West Bengal and the gang involved in a robbery at an SBI branch in Karimnagar district of Telangana in February.

"Yes, the links between this gang and the Burdwan group, if any, are being probed. The agency is trying to find out if there are any links," an National Investigation Agency (NIA) official told PTI.

Meanwhile, Karimnagar Superintendent of Police, V Shiva Kumar, said that four members of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), who escaped during the Khandwa jail break are suspected to be involved in the bank robbery at Choppadandi.

The NIA official was reacting to a query if the agency is probing that angle after media reports said that NIA officials visited the bank and collected closed circuit television (CCTV) footage and other information about the robbery.

In the robbery, four gun-wielding men were seen entering the SBI branch at Choppadandi mandal headquarters before decamping with Rs 46 lakh in cash.

"We have the data (footage and other information on the bank robbery)," he said when asked if any team had visited the bank to collect more information.

When asked if currency robbed from the SBI branch were seized from the terror group suspected to be behind the Burdwan blast, the official replied, "Further investigation details cannot be divulged at this stage".

The Burdwan blast case pertains to an explosion at a rented house at Khagragarh in Burdwan town on October 2 in which two men believed to be members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh died.

The case is being investigated by the NIA's Kolkata branch after it registered a case.

Seven SIMI activists, all undertrial prisoners, have escaped from the Khandwa district prison after stabbing two security guards, looting rifles and snatching wireless sets in October last year.

The SP told PTI that four fugitive SIMI members were identified for their involvement in the bank robbery at the SBI branch at Choppadandi which occurred on February 1 this year.

"Four armed men robbed Rs 46 lakh from the bank at gunpoint," the senior police officer said, adding that the Abu Faizal gang escaped from Khandwa district jail in Madhya Pradesh on October 1 last year and the police suspects involvement in the bank robbery.

PTI