Probe Agency Files Chargesheet In Darbhanga Railway Station Blast Case

The NIA on Thursday filed a charge sheet before a special court here against five people who allegedly triggered a blast at the Darbhanga rail station on June 17 on the direction of Pakistan-based operatives of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, an official said.

They had intended to set ablaze a long-distance train, he said.

Of the five named in the charge sheet, Mohammad Nasir Khan, Imran Malik, Saleem Ahmed and Kafil Ahmad have been arrested. The fifth, Iqbal Mohammed, is absconding and is staying in Lahore, the official said, adding all of them are natives of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh.

The charge sheet was filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Explosive Substances Act and the UAPA, the official of the premier investigation agency said.

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives had planned to set ablaze a moving long-distance train by placing incendiary IEDs/parcel bombs in it so that there is a huge loss of life and damage to property, the NIA official said.

On the directions of Hafeez Iqbal, a Pakistan-based LeT operative, Mohammad Nasir Khan and Imran Malik fabricated an IED using locally-procured chemicals and placed it in a parcel of clothes, the official said.

The parcel was booked in the Secunderabad-Darbhanga Express. The intention was that on triggering of the incendiary IED, the cloth parcel would catch fire, spread in other parcels converting it into a large conflagration, the NIA official said Mohammad Nasir Khan had travelled to Pakistan and received training in espionage, handling of arms and ammunition and fabricating IEDs. He also received funds from Pakistan on various occasions, the official said.

After the incident, the Pakistan-based handlers had tried to facilitate the escape of Mohammad Nasir Khan, Imran Malik, Saleem Ahmed and Kafil Ahmad to a foreign country through Nepal. However, they were arrested, the NIA official said, adding further investigation is underway.