The Thane Crime Branch has arrested a 52-year-old Bangladesh national, who was convicted for setting off three bombs in his home town in 2002. Mufazzal Hussain had obtained parole on medical grounds in 2004 and had gone on the run since then.
Hussain is a native of Ilispur village in Khulna, Bangladesh. Officers said he was staying at Koparkhairane in Navi Mumbai under the name of Mafeezul Mandal and was picked up by the Unit I on the basis of a tip-off.
“Our information indicated that the accused was an illegal immigrant and was evading the authorities in Bangladesh. We picked him up on March 19 and when he was unable to produce any documents either proving his Indian citizenship or certifying that he was visiting the country, detained him,” a Crime Branch officer said.
The officer said after questioning, Hussain gave up his true identity and also confessed to be a wanted man back home. “Based on inquiries, we have ascertained that Hussain had exploded three crude bombs at a mosque in Ilispur — one on the premises and two outside — in 2002, killing one person and injuring several others. The offence was a fallout of a rivalry between two local gangs, and Hussain belonged to one of them. He was arrested, and sentenced to life imprisonment.”
Hussain also damaged his arm in the blasts, and in 2004 managed to obtain parole on medical grounds. He then crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border via West Bengal and came to Maharashtra, where he has been living since then. The officer said he had been doing odd jobs for a living and no criminal records in his name had come to light in India so far.
“We have booked Hussain under the Passport Act and have initiated the process of deporting him to Bangladesh. Usually, the process takes around two months but it might take longer in this case owing to the COVID-19 crisis,” the officer said.
