Why is NIA re-visiting Lashkar-e-Tayiba link in Samjautha blasts case
New Delhi, April 5: A team of the National Investigation Agency made a surprise visit to the United States of America in a bid to gather more information in connection with their probe into the Samjautha express blasts case.
Samjhauta Express blast: NIA back to probing Lashkar-e-Taiba link
It comes as quite a surprise that the NIA which has been probing this case since nearly 5 years.
Moreover the NIA has also filed a chargesheet in this case and the trial too has commenced against Swami Aseemanand and others.
The NIA's visit to the US is to gather more evidence regarding a person called Arif Kasmani who the US Treasury Department had termed as the funder of the blasts.
On February 18 2007 bombs planted in two carriages of the Samjautha Express exploded killing 68 persons and injuring several others. It was stated after the blast that it was the handiwork of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. However the probe a year later took a complete different turn with investigators blaming a group called the Abhinav Bharat.
No turn, just making sure:
Sources
say
that
the
visit
by
the
NIA
to
the
US
in
a
bid
to
seek
out
more
information
on
Kasmani
does
not
mean
that
the
case
will
take
a
turn.
The
NIA
is
just
double
checking
to
find
out
if
Kasmani
who
was
also
a
financier
for
the
Lashkar-e-Tayiba
had
any
role
to
play
in
this
case
as
well.
Sources
say
that
the
case
is
pretty
much
a
closed
one,
but
the
NIA
is
taking
one
more
re-look
into
it
to
be
doubly
sure.
A team of the NIA led by the DIG, Sharad Kumar is visiting the United States of America to seek more evidence on the role of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
It is not a u-turn said an NIA official to OneIndia. It may be recalled that it was the US treasury department which had suggested in June 2009 that Kasmani could have funded the operation.
The NIA team will meet with officials in the US including those from the FBI to seek out more details regarding the case and the Kasmani angle.
OneIndia News