NIA gets further remand of two LeT men in Darbhanga blast case

PATNA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday got seven days’ additional remand of Mohammad Nasir Khan and his brother Imran Khan having alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for further interrogation in the Darbhanga railway station parcel blast case on June 17 and their terror plot across the country.
Sources said the duo's additional remand time is mainly aimed to know about their Pakistan-based international handler.The duo was produced before a special NIA court in Patna on Friday along with another accused Kafil Ansari.
“Nasir and Imran have shared vital information about their terror plot, which was to be implemented across the country. They have also shared information about their handler in Pakistan who was directing them how to execute the terror attacks. Both are about to share more information for which additional interrogation time was required,” a highly placed source said.
Nasir and Imran’s earlier remand of seven-day with the agency was ending on Friday. Their fresh remand with NIA would start from Saturday. Sources said NIA didn’t pray for the further remand of Kafil, who was sent to judicial custody in Beur central jail on Friday after six days’ interrogation.
The NIA had taken the trio to Shamli, Uttar Pradesh and then to Hyderabad in course of interrogation. The NIA did not seek remand of Haji Salim, the 4th person arrested in the case and the alleged LeT recruiter in India, as he is ill and lodged in Beur jail amid high security.
The sources said though it was Salim who recruited Nasir and Imran, Kafil also had an important association with them in the entire conspiracy. “Once, Nasir and Imran’s interrogation is complete, the NIA might take Kafil on remand again for another round of interrogation to corroborate all facts and information. More arrests may take place in the case after further interrogation,” a source said.
The NIA FIR states that Nasir and Imran had planted the IED containing liquid chemicals inside the parcel and booked it in Darbhanga-bound train from Secunderabad to cause an explosion en route, but the parcel exploded while being dumped at the Darbhanga railway station.
The duo were arrested from Hyderabad on June 30. Both had settled there two decades back from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh as garment traders. Later, on July 2, Salim and Kafil were also arrested from Kairana for their alleged involvement in the terror conspiracy with Nasir and Imran.