GUWAHATI, Nov 7 � In a crucial breakthrough, a joint operation by National Investigation Agency (NIA), City Police and the CRPF managed to arrest Sujina Begum alias Sirjia Banu, wife of Shahnur Alom, who is wanted in connection with the Burdwan blast.
Investigators were on the lookout for Sujina ever since she had gone underground along with Shahnur immediately after the Burdwan blast. She was arrested from the Inter-State Bus Terminus in Boragaon area this morning, NIA sources said.
Sujina, during preliminary investigation, had confessed to have undergone training in a madrassa in West Bengal on several occasions.
Immediately after her arrest, teams of NIA had rushed to a number of probable hideouts of Shahnur, including some areas on the Indo-Bangla border, sources said. Aged about 30, Sujina was with her one-and-half-year child when she was cornered by police.
�It appears that she was on her way to meet Shahnur, but nothing can be said for certain. We are still questioning her and trying to track him down,� sources said. It has been learnt that the arrest has been made under SOU Police Station case 1/14 under Sec 120 (b), 121 (a), 122, 142, 23 of the IPC read with 10/13/16/18(B)/20 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (Assam Police) on the strength of which six other arrests of suspected jehadi operatives were made in Barpeta district on October 9.
It needs mention that the NIA had already announced cash reward for anyone who would provide information on the whereabouts of Shahnur, a key operative of Jaamat-ul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB). Investigators have already conducted a series of searches in the house of Shahnur and his relatives.
Our Barpeta Correspondent adds: Meanwhile, Chiraj Ali Khan, the arrested Arabic teacher of Debara High School in Barpeta district has been suspended from service. Khan was arrested in connection with Burdwan blast. He was teaching in the school since 1996.
