National Investigation Agency officials 'sold vegetables' to trap terror suspect

Indore, Aug 15 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Zahirul Sheikh, key accused in the 2014 Burdwan bombing case, two days before the Independence Day from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. In order to trap Sheikh, some of the NIA officials even posed as vegetable sellers in the Kohinoor colony, the area where Sheikh used to live.

The NIA was looking for Sheikh for a long time. Sources had informed the police about the whereabouts of Sheikh, who was working as a painter and a labourer in Indore. The NIA team performed the operation in total secrecy, without even informing the local police.

"Azad Nagar police helped the NIA team to arrest a person. The police verification of the tenant was not done as the landlord did not inform the police about it," Additional Director General of Police Varun Kapoor told mediapersons here.

The police sources said that Sheikh has been working as a labourer in other cities for the last two years.

Zahirul Sheikh is an active member of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and a close aide of Rezaul Karim, another suspect arrested for transporting explosives to various places in Burdwan. Sheikh is a key accused in the 2104 Burdwan blast in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists also died. Sheikh participated in training camps and is trained in making bombs.

It is being feared that Sheikh was in Indore to carry out some major operation. But this has not been confirmed by NIA or the police.

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