Bengaluru Police arrest five people on charges of plotting blasts

The Bengaluru City Police have arrested five people on charges of plotting a series of bomb blasts in Bengaluru. They were presented before a special court and charged under the Unlawful Activities prevention Act (UAPA). The court has remanded them to police custody for two weeks.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah informed the Legislative Assembly about the arrests and said the government will crack down on terror elements. “We are always ready to track down those involved in any kind of anti-national activities including terrorist activities and root out such forces from the state,” he tweeted.

The central crime branch (CCB) attached to the city police arrested Syed Suhel, Umar, Janid, Mudasir and Zahid, all of whom were accused in a 2017 murder case. The accused, said the CCB, had come in contact with terrorists while in Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in the city. They were brainwashed by Lashkar-e-Taiba operative T Naseer, who was arrested in 2008 for his alleged role in the 2008 serial bomb blast case in the city, said the police.


The CCB has also seized seven country-made pistols, 45 rounds of live cartridges and materials used for explosives from the accused. One of the accused, who is absconding, provided these weapons to those arrested to carry out certain subversive activities, said Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda.

In the assembly session, home minister G Parameshwara said investigations were underway to figure out with which organisation the apprehended were associated. “All five were arrested in the Hebbal police division,” he said.

Former CM Basavaraj Bommai called the whole affair a huge conspiracy and urged that the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Bengaluru, he added, was becoming a sanctuary for terrorists.

Rural development and IT minister Priyank Kharge slammed the former CM for not trusting the same officers the BJP had a couple of months ago when the party was ruling the state. “If the investigation needs national help or it has international connections, then we will seek Centre's help. But as of now, we have an efficient Policing system here, we have a mechanism to deal with terrorism here. We will do that,” he said.