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KUSHINAGAR BLASTNo terror group, but probe hints towards self-radicalised unit
LUCKNOW Although initial probe into the Kushinagar mosque explosion ruled out involvement of any terror group, the findings hinted towards a self-radicalised group
LUCKNOW Although initial probe into the Kushinagar mosque explosion ruled out involvement of any terror group, the findings hinted towards a self-radicalised group operating at the local level, said a senior police official privy to the investigation.
He said the group’s intention behind storing explosives at the mosque was yet to be ascertained and added that retired PWD employee Mohd Haji Qutubuddin, 73, and his grandson Mohd Ashfaq were suspected to be the key persons behind the group of six people, who were arrested in connection with the blast at the mosque in Turqapatti area of Kushinagar on November 11.
He said the group was planning some nefarious activity with the explosives stored at the mosque. “The group’s plan was foiled as the explosives accidentally exploded due improper storage,” he added.
The official said Qutubuddin and Mohd Ashfaq, who has worked in Army Medical Corps for around five years under short service commission, were arrested after their names surfaced during interrogation with four others arrested earlier in the case. He said Qutubuddin was arrested from India-Nepal border in Kushinagar on Thursday morning while Ashfaq was taken in custody from his hideout in Hyderabad, Telangana during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
The official said the duo was brought face-to-face with the four others —imam of the mosque maulana Azmuddin, a resident of West Bengal, and Izhar, Ashiq Ansari and Javed Ansari — as their statements were contradictory and they were shifting blame on each other about the storage of explosives. He said the four arrested earlier were being quizzed further during their two-day police custody since Friday morning.
A senior official of UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), associated with probe, said initial findings suggested that Qutubuddin was the person who roped in the other five to arrange explosives and stored it at the mosque. He said Qutubuddin played crucial role in establishing the mosque and that he paid Azmuddin a monthly salary of ₹ 6,000.
The official said the imam and the three others had initially tried to mislead police by stating that an inverter battery had exploded and shattered the window panes and damaged the ceiling and walls of the mosque. However, nobody was injured in the blast.
The police later discovered that Qutubuddin had brought the explosives to the mosque in a sack and stored it there. This was in the knowledge of the other accused arrested in the matter.
QUOTE
A total of six people have been arrested in connection with the mosque blast. No terror link has been found in the investigation so far. A detailed investigation against main accused Qutubuddin is on.
Praveen Kumar, IG, Law & Order
