The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe into the recent Bengaluru city terror module case from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the city police. In mid-July, the CCB arrested five men from different parts of the city and seized several weapons and explosives from them.
The city police commissioner had announced that the suspects were planning to carry out explosions and acts of subversion in the city. During the investigation, it was revealed that the five men were financed by a person named Junaid Ahmed, who is suspected to be in Dubai. The investigations also uncovered that Junaid had sent a significant amount of money to their bank accounts to help them acquire firearms, grenades, and other materials.
The arrested individuals had been identified and are currently in judicial custody. The police have issued a lookout notice for Junaid Ahmed. It has been found that these six individuals had previously been arrested in a murder case in 2017 and came into contact with a terror suspect named T Nazeer, who is also in the same prison. Nazeer is known for his involvement in the Bengaluru serial blasts case of July 2008. Reports suggest that Nazeer radicalized these men and taught them the basics of terror activities.
A senior IPS officer stated that the NIA is re-registering a fresh FIR under the same sections that the Bengaluru police had initially arrested them for. The five individuals and Nazeer have reportedly confessed to their involvement in the terror plot. The NIA is now in charge of further investigation into the case.