Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Jul 9: During the investigation undertaken by National Investigation Agency (NIA), the information that a rented house in the city outskirts was being used to manufacture explosives and to dispatch the same to different parts of the country was unravelled. The agency also found that suspected terrorists had created sleeper cell here.
During the operation conducted by the NIA officials at a house near Chikkabanavara railway station here, large quantity of explosives was found. This was the house in which Habibur Rahman and his accomplices had stayed. Habibur has been accused of setting off bomb blast at Burdwan n West Bengal in the year 2014. Tiffin box styled metal boxes, circuit capacitors, resisters, live bullets, dummy bullets, air gun and other explosive substances were found during the searches. NIA officials filed complaint in this regard in Soladevanahalli police station on Monday July 8. The officials said that the case was registered under Control of Illegal Activities Act, Explosives Act etc.
Habibur was arrested from Doddaballapur on June 25. During his intensive questioning at Kolkata, Habibur had revealed about his hideout at Chikkabanavara.
After finding explosive substances on Sunday, the officials continued with their searches on Monday. They surveyed the houses frequented by Habibur Rehman, roads, lanes, houses around the house he had rented etc, with metal detector in hand. But no explosives were found. Local police and Karnataka State Reserve Police stood guard for the operations. It is said that Habibur and his assistants had posed as petty traders and coolies when hiring the house.
The house in question belongs to Sameeullah from Chikkabanavara. Three suspects stayed in this house for three months during 2018. The house is a single bedroom accommodation. They had paid advance of Rs 15,000 and fixed rent of Rs 3,000 per month. When leaving the house in May 2018, they had left behind a heap of explosive materials in a corner of the house. Neither the house owner nor anyone else had taken this small heap seriously. Habibur had visited this house two to three times and it was also used as sleeper cell, the agency stated. They had left the house in a hurry leaving behind explosives, as arrests of their accomplices began to happen one by one. The officials said that the terrorists had planned to use the explosives to set a huge blast but cut short the plan fearing arrest.