Dakshina Kannada man in NIA’s most wanted list

MANGALURU: NIA’s most wanted list released on October 20 has its more than usual share of Bhatkal suspects. While this is considered a norm, given that coastal city’s (in Uttara Kannada) link with terror outfits, what alarms the law enforcement agencies is the fact that a person originally hailing from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district, too, figures on this list put out by the nation’s premier investigating agency.
The accused is Jay Prakash aka Anna, who is wanted in Goa bomb blast case registered in Margao Town Police Station on October 16, 2009. He figures in both main as well as supplementary chargesheets filed by the investigating agency that reads he is an accused not sent for trial.
The issue pertains to two cases – a blast that occurred on the VV Road, Margao, on October 16 around 9.30pm and the explosives – four gelatin sticks, four electric detonators with wires, a box containing electric circuits with two 9 volt batteries and a clock – found from a bag that was lying suspiciously adjacent to the road. These explosives were, however, defused by the bomb detection and disposal squad.
The two cases were investigated by a special investigation team till December 24, 2009 and upon the orders of the ministry of home affairs transferred to the NIA, which filed a combined chargesheet on May 17, 2010.
The facts disclosed during investigation into the cases revealed that Jay Prakash, along with other accused, had actively participated in the preparation and conduct of the test blasts at a hillock at Ponda in Goa which “finally culminated into commission of a terrorist act by way of explosion and planting IEDs in the instant cases.”
A police officer from the Dakshina Kannada police told TOI that Jay Prakash has been absconding since a decade. The officer said he was employed as a car driver at an ashram in Goa and he went absconding one fine day. “There is no case against him here,” the officer added.
NIA has sought public help in nabbing him. Call 011-24368800 or mail assistance.nia@gov.in.