NIA questions Jamat-ul-Mujahideen linked man in Tripura

A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) Thursday arrived here and began interrogating a man who was arrested recently for alleged links with terror outfit Jamat-ul Mujahidden Bangladesh, police said. The two-member team of the probe agency is headed by an inspector, Sub-divisional Police Officer Ajay Kumar Das said.

The Tripura Police on Tuesday had detained a man, identified as Nazir Sheikh, for alleged links with the Jamat-ul-Mujahidden Bangladesh, Director General of Police (DGP) A K Shukla said. A local court on the following day remanded him to 12 days police custody.

The DGP had told reporters on Tuesday that Sheikh was an expert in making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and he was in touch with people in India with terror links. Sheikh hails from Murshidabad district of West Bengal and was detained from West Tripura district.

The DGP said that during the visit of the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya on January 19, 2018, three IEDs were recovered from there which was believed to be the handiwork of Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Details on how Sheikh was detained was not disclosed by the state police chief.

"I can only say that he was detained from a place in West Tripura district on the basis of intelligence inputs. Interrogation has started," the DGP said.

The Tripura Police, during the investigation of drug smuggling cases, have found that the terrorists have links with drug peddlers, Shukla said. Police are investigating if Sheikh had any specific targets in mind, he said.

"Lok Sabha election is nearing and the movement of VIPs during the time is frequent, so we are also investigating if he was targeting any VIP," he said. The DGP said the matter has been brought to the notice of the NIA.

(With inputs from agencies.)