Bangalore arrests: NIA plays down trio’s links with Hyderabad blasts

Bangalore Police Commissioner M N Reddi, in a series of tweets last month, had said: “The interrogation of the accused is throwing light on the source of explosives in bomb blast cases after 2010. The arrest will fill the missing links in the investigation into various terror cases across the nation.”

However, NIA sources have played down the arrests, claiming that its officers have explored the possibility of
any links to the Dilsukhnagar blasts and found nothing to suggest the trio were involved.

“So far, there appears to be no actual involvement of the accused in supplying explosives for blasts executed by the Indian Mujahideen across the country. From our preliminary inquiries so far, there is no connection with the Dilsukhnagar case. The dates on which Afaq supposedly supplied explosives for the blasts do not tally with our probe,” said an NIA source.

The NIA has also questioned Bangalore Police’s claims that homeopathy doctor Afaq was in touch with an Indian Mujahideen handler in Karachi. “Afaq’s wife Arsala Abeer is a Pakistani from Karachi. It was natural for Afaq to call his father-in-law Aleem and speak to him from time-to-time. This communication seems to have been misconstrued,” it added.

The Bangalore police claimed to have found a large quantity of ammonium nitrate, detonators, electronic timer devices, digital circuits, wires, PVC pipes, gel-based explosive material and fuel oil at the residence of Afaq’s cousin Abdus Subur.

However, Afaq’s lawyer Mohammed Sultan Beary alleged, “When the purported seizure took place, even the local police in Bhatkal were not allowed inside the house. The explosives were planted at the residence by the Bangalore Police.”

Beary claimed that terror charges were being foisted on Afaq as he had filed several complaints and RTI applications against Bangalore police officials for allegedly stalling his wife’s wife’s application for Indian citizenship.