Darbhanga blast: NIA files charge-sheet against 5 including 2 Hyderabad residents

Hyderabad: National Investigation Agency on Thursday filed a charge-sheet against five Lashkar-e-Tioba operatives including two Hyderabad residents in the Darbhanga Railway Station blast case.

Chargesheet was filed in the NIA Special Court, Patna, under sections 120B, 468, and 471 of the IPC, Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and sections 16, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 23, 38, 39 and 40 of the UA (P) Act against Mohd Nasir Khan and Imran Malik both resident of Kairana, Shamli, Uttar Pradesh and presently residing at Hyderabad; Saleem Ahmed and Kafil Ahmad resident of Kairana, Shamli, and Iqbal Mohammed resident of Kairana, Shamli presently staying in Lahore, Pakistan.

The case relates to a blast at Darbhanga Railway Station on June 17. NIA took up the investigation of the case on June 24. Investigation revealed that LeT operatives had planned to set ablaze a moving long-distance train by placing incendiary Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)/parcel bomb in the train so it catches fire and there is a huge loss of life and property.

In order to execute the task, on directions of Pakistan-based LeT operative Hafeez Iqbal, accused Mohd Nasir Khan and Imran Malik fabricated an IED using locally procured chemicals and placed the same in a parcel of clothes.

The parcel was booked in Secunderabad - Darbhanga Express which departs in the night with an intention to trigger IED. The cloth parcel would ignite and further spread fire in the van converting it into a large conflagration.

The investigation further revealed that accused Nasir Khan had traveled to Pakistan and received training in espionage, handling of arms and ammunition, and fabricating IEDs. He also received funds from Pakistan on various occasions. After the incident, Pakistan-based handlers had tried to facilitate the escape of the accused to a foreign country through Nepal. However, they were apprehended before they could escape.