Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, the Crime Branch officials on Tuesday arrested a dreaded terrorist Md Kafil Akhtar belonging to militant outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) in connection with the Chinnaswami Stadium blasts case of 2010.
Confirming the development, B Dayanand, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Bangalore City said, “Md Kafil Akhtar was caught in Jharkhand and belongs to Darbhanga (Bihar). Akhtar was involved in planning and procuring materials to carry out the stadium blasts. He is yet to be brought to Bangalore. We will interrogate him further once we get police custody," said
According to reports, Bangalore Crime Branch officials arrested Akhtar from Barasmela village in Bihar`s Darbhanga district in connection with the blast outside the Chinnaswami stadium in Bangalore two years ago.
As per sources, a police team from Karnataka arrived in the village two days ago and arrested the suspect Akhtar and took him away.
However, the unannounced arrest made by the Karnataka Crime Branch team has sparked a bitter controversy between the two states with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar registering his strong protest to the move.
“I have got information from police officials in Bihar that Karnataka police have arrested a person in Darbhanga. We have sought a report on this. I raised this issue during NCTC meeting. This is not right, there was no information with us. We will send this information to the Home Ministry. The law of the land should be followed," the Bihar Chief Minister said.
Darbhanga Superintendent of Police (SP) Garima Malik also confirmed that the Karnataka police did not contact the local police nor informed us about the arrest of Ahmed, the son of one Abdul Salam.
The Darbhanga police came to know about the arrest of the suspected terrorist from his kins subsequently, Malik said.
The arrest of Akhtar, who is wanted in the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts case of April 2010, has once again raised the issue of jurisdiction of a state police force conducting operations in another state.
Interestingly, media reports earlier claimed that two dreaded terrorists were arrested by the Crime Branch officials. The other suspect was identified as Syyed Abdul Rehman, who is said to be a top LeT commander.
The two men are being interrogated by the Crime Branch officials to further ascertain their future plans.
In 2010, two low-intensity explosions near a packed Chinnaswamy cricket stadium less than an hour before an IPL match left at least 15 persons, including five security men injured.
