Bodh Gaya Blast Case: Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh Terrorist Held In Kolkata While Plotting Escape Of Fellow Jihadist

A 22-year-old man was arrested on Saturday (16 February) for links to the terrorist organisation Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which was responsible for the Bodh Gaya blast in 2018, reports Indian Express.

According to the report, Ariful Islam alias Arif, a resident of Barpeta of Assam, was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police from Babughat at around 5.30 am.

A low-intensity bomb was exploded hours after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama concluded a function at Bodh Gaya in Bihar in 2018.

"Arif studied at Howly in Assam and worked as a helper with truck drivers. He came in touch with terrorists Jahidul Islam alias Kauser and Abdul Majid and was invited by them to join JMB," a Kolkata Police officer was quoted as saying in the report. After the blast, Arif fled to Bangalore and was involved in an armed robbery with other associates, he added.

"He had come to Kolkata for a recce and preparations to secure the escape of Kauser from custody on the way to court from jail," the officer said. Some documents and papers have also been reportedly seized from him. The National Investigative Agency (NIA) had last year arrested five people in connection with the case.