The blast had occurred after a sermon delivered by the Dalai Lama on January 19, 2018.
The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police arrested an alleged member of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from East Burdwan district for links with a blast in Bihar's Bodh Gaya in January 2018, an official said today.
Abdul Rahim, a resident of Murshidabad district, was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the from Katwa last evening pon a tip-off. "Abdul Rahim, who is associated with JMB leaders such as Abdul Wahab and Moulana Yousuf, was arrested on Monday evening. He is an active member of the JMB's Dhulian module in West Bengal," news agency IANS quoted an STF official as saying.
Both Abdul Wahab and Moulana Yousuf are already in custody.
Abdul Rahim was arrested by the Special Task Force of the Bengal police from Katwa.
The JMB was banned by the central government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act this May, after its role in the Bodh Gaya blast came to light. "Abdul Rahim took part in the recruitment of the Dhulian module, which was behind the blast, and also helped it with logistics. He had absconded after the blast," the STF official told IANS.
On January 19, 2018, a low-intensity bomb exploded hours after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama concluded a sermon at Bodh Gaya. In the search operations that followed, security personnel found two more unexploded explosives in the vicinity.
Earlier today, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy had expressed concern in the Lok Sabha over the JMB using madrasas in Bengal's Burdwan and Murshidabad regions for alleged radicalisation and recruitment activities. He said information in this regard was being regularly shared with the state government as well as its agencies, so appropriate action can be taken.
(With inputs from IANS)