The house in West Bengal's Burdwan where a blast occurred on October 2
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that all four persons arrested in connection with the blast in West Bengal's Burdwan on October 2 are members of the terror group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The agency also said that the accused were preparing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for transporting them to Bangladesh for possible terror attacks.
"Investigation so far has revealed that the accused persons and their associates were the members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB), a terrorist organisation proscribed in Bangladesh and they were preparing IEDs which were being transported to Bangladesh," the NIA said in a statement on Friday.
Two men, Shakil Ahmed and Suvon Mandal alias Subhan - both allegedly residents of Bangladesh - were killed while making the IEDs in a rented house in Khagragarh in Burdwan. A third, Abdul Hakim alias
Hassan was injured. He was arrested by the NIA along with three others, including two women - one of them is the widow of a terror suspect who died in the blast.
On Friday, NIA chief Sharad Kumar visited Burdwan and inspected the house where the blast occurred. He also visited another house at nearby Mathpara in Burdwan where 39 IEDs were found on October 17 by the NIA; 37 of them were detonated. The house, incidentally, had been searched and sealed by the state police eight days before the NIA recovered the IEDs.
"We have evolved strategies regarding arrests of absconding accused persons. I can't reveal anything because it will affect the investigation," Mr Kumar told reporters.
The NIA is also considering announcing cash rewards for any information leading to the "arrest of those absconding accused of this case which include JMB members from Bangladesh".
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is likely to visit Burdwan on Monday to take stock of the investigation.
The government is preparing a dossier which will be shared with Bangladesh which had sought details on the case.