Key JMB terrorist accused in 2017 Bodh Gaya blasts held by Kolkata Special Task Force

A Special Task Force (STF) unit of the Kolkata police, along with with the local Jangipur district police on Friday arrested a Jamaat Ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorist from a hideout in Suti in Murshidabad district.

The accused Abdul Karim or Boro Karim was wanted in connection with a warrant issued way back on November 29, 2017. Karim, who is linked to the 2018 blasts in Bodh Gaya, is one of the three most wanted JMB terrorists in India.

Karim was the main leader of the Dhuliya module and would actively supply logistics and support top JMB leaders like Saleuddin and others with shelter prior to 2015. Karim’s name was also mentioned as the main operative by JMB terrorists in Bangladesh during interrogation.

“In 2018 we had also seized substantial quantity of explosives and jihadi material from his house as part of a surprise raid conducted,” said a senior police official. However, Karim managed to escape and was on the run till his arrest on Friday. Karim is a resident under Shamshergunj police station.

Karim has, however, not been named in the National Investigative Agency(NIA) charge sheet in the Bodh Gaya case, though he has been under the scanner. 5 persons were arrested by the NIA in connection with the case. The blast dates back to January 2018 when a low intensity blast exploded in Bodh Gaya in Bihar a few hours after Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s sermon at the Mahabodhi temple.