The wealth generated by the Saradha chit fund scam was allegedly used to fuel terror activities in India by a Bangladesh-based group after money was diverted to a bank account in Bangladesh, intelligence reports have indicated.

Central intelligence agencies are exploring the terror nexus as part of a probe into the explosion at Burdwan in West Bengal on October 2 that killed two suspected terrorists.

The money trail of the Saradha scam leading to the Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has turned the spotlight on West Bengal-based politicians, who are already under the scanner in the Saradha scam, sources said.

Conspiracy: Burdwan blast accused Hasan (left) and Amina Bibi (right) being produced at a court by NIA officials in Kolkata. Besides the six persons arrested in West Bengal, six more suspects were arrested in Assam for allegedly being part of the conspiracy hatched by the JMB to carry out terror strikes

The highly-placed sources said an intelligence report submitted to the Home Ministry on the Burdwan blast states that suspicions about some politicians in West Bengal having links to the terror network need to be investigated.

During its probe into the Saradha scam, the Enforcement Directorate discovered that money was sent to the Islami Bank Bangladesh to be invested in real estate.

Sources said this was a modus operandi adopted for laundering money.

Besides Bangladesh, money from the scam was also allegedly sent to some West Asian countries in the guise of investments.

But with intelligence agencies suspecting that the money was diverted to the JMB for terror activities, sources say it is essential to probe the terror angle.

Intelligence agencies believe that Rs 60 crore was transferred to Islami Bank through some politicians who were allegedly involved in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam that is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate.

The role of some leaders of the Trinamool Congress is also under scrutiny in the scam.

A sketch of Kausar, prime suspect in the Burdwan blast case, released by the CID

“The Islami Bank is known to have close links with the radical group Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The money from the scam routed to the group could have been used to fund JMB, which is planning terror strikes in India and Bangladesh,” said a government official.

The JMB, a group banned by Bangladesh in 2005, is allegedly responsible for the Burdwan explosion.

It is said to be an offshoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami and has now set up a network in India.

The group’s aim is to replace Bangladesh’s democratic set-up with an Islamic state based on Shariah.

The explosion at Khagragarh in Burdwan district killed two suspected terrorists, Shakil Ahmed and Sorvan Mandal.

Investigators are on the lookout for Kausar and Abul Kalam, two prime suspects suspected to be Bangladeshis.

The six persons arrested so far by West Bengal Police include two women, Rajira Bibi alias Rumi, the widow of Ahmed, a Bangladeshi who is said to be a top commander of JMB, and Amina Bibi, wife of Sheikh Hakim alias Hasan Saheb, who was injured in the blast.

Besides the six persons arrested in West Bengal, six more suspects were arrested in Assam for allegedly being part of the conspiracy hatched by the JMB to carry out terror strikes.

The Burdwan blast case is now being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Centre transferred the case despite reservations expressed by TMC, the ruling party in West Bengal.

The Home Ministry, in its order transferring the case to the NIA, stated that JMB was targeting states like Assam, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and UP.

“Members of the group are conspiring to commit terrorist attacks in India and Bangladesh. In pursuance of the ongoing conspiracy several members of the outfit set up bases and hideouts in several parts of India. These include training camps that have trained large number of Indian youth,” the Home Ministry’s order said.

Court allows NIA custody of Bengal blast accused

By Soudhriti Bhabani

A Kolkata sessions court on Monday allowed the National Investigating Agency (NIA) to take custody of three of the accused involved in the Burdwan blast case.

The custody has been granted till October 22.

“On behalf of the NIA, we had asked for the custody of the three accused in the Burdwan case, the court allowed our wishes, we have their custody till October 22,” NIA counsel Sanjay Vardhan said.

He said the fourth injured accused was already in the SSKM Hospital under treatment.

“We have prayed for his safety and security and the direction has been given to the superintendent of SSKM Hospital and the concerned police station of that area,” Vardhan added.

All three arrested were produced before a NIA special court. Once the central agency gets custody of the accused, they are likely to take them to the blast site in Burdwan for further probe, sources said.

Meanwhile, the NIA officers on Monday visited the blast site along with a team of explosive experts from Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Kolkata and collected samples from the crime scene.

A team of NIA officers, led by inspector general of NIA, is camping in Burdwan district. They also visited a Madrasa in Simulia, where the accused were reportedly radicalised in violent Jihadi ideology.

NIA teams have also been sent to Nadia and Assam in connection with the investigation. It is conducting a joint interrogation with officials of the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID).