NIA to probe Samjhauta bomb suspect's hand in Mecca blast
New Delhi, Dec16: Rajender Chaudhary, who allegedly planted a bomb in Samjhauta Express in 2007, may also be involved in the Mecca-Masjid blast in Hyderabad in which nine people died in May 2007 and could
New Delhi, Dec16: Rajender Chaudhary, who allegedly planted a bomb in Samjhauta Express in 2007, may also be involved in the Mecca-Masjid blast in Hyderabad in which nine people died in May 2007 and could help NIA in solving the case, NIA sources said on Sunday.
Chaudhary, who is in his mid-30s, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last night from Nagda, 50 kilometres from Ujjain, where he was living under an assumed name, they said.
The sources said Chaudhary, who is also known as Samundar Singh among the right-wing extremists, had changed his identity completely and had been living under the assumed name for the last three years after NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs five lakh for his arrest.
They alleged that he was also involved in planting a bomb at Mecca-Masjid in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007 in which nine people were killed. Five more died thereafter in clashes with the police. A cell phone-controlled pipe bomb had gone off at the historical Masjid during Friday prayers.
NIA was handed over the case in 2011 after which the agency chargesheeted five persons - Assemanand, Lokesh Sharma and Davinder Gupta (all under arrest) and Ramji Kalsangre and Sandeep Dange (both absconding).
Chaudhary would be questioned about his role in the blast cases as the probe has indicated that the planter of the bombs in Samjhauta Express and Mecca Masjid was the same, the sources in the probe agency said.
The breakthrough came after intense investigation being carried out by NIA in the Samjhauta case which was handed over to it in 2010.
The sources said NIA had mounted surveillance on the accused after getting a tip off from informers that he was living under an assumed name.
Chaudhary's is the fourth arrest in the case. NIA has already arrested Kamal Chauhan, Aseemanand and Lokesh Sharma for their alleged involvement in the Samjhauta case.
A huge explosion had occurred in Samjhauta Express near Panipat, Haryana, on February 18, 2007 and the subsequent fire in the coaches had resulted in the loss of 68 lives and injuries to 12 train passengers, including women and children.
The initial probe into the bomb blast was conducted by the Government Railway Police and Special Investigation Team of Haryana Police. It was subsequently taken over by NIA on July 29, 2010 following a directive from the Home Ministry.
NIA had on June 20, 2011, filed the charge-sheet before the special court under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against five accused - Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Aseemanand, Sunil Joshi (now dead), Lokesh Sharma, Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalasangra alias Ramji.
The investigating agency had in August this year also filed a supplementary charge-sheet in the case against a ‘disgruntled' RSS worker Kamal Chauhan and an associate in a special court at Panchkula charging them with murder, conspiracy and other offences.
Lokesh Sharma, a close associate of Sunil Joshi, had sent Chauhan and Chaudhary for the recee in December 2006, the sources said.
Later, Old Delhi railway station was selected (for planting the bomb) from where the train originates, they said.
Samjhauta Express was chosen as the target and both of them came to Indore on February 17, 2007 and took delivery of suitcase bombs to be planted in the train the next day.
Chaudhary, who is in his mid-30s, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last night from Nagda, 50 kilometres from Ujjain, where he was living under an assumed name, they said.
The sources said Chaudhary, who is also known as Samundar Singh among the right-wing extremists, had changed his identity completely and had been living under the assumed name for the last three years after NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs five lakh for his arrest.
They alleged that he was also involved in planting a bomb at Mecca-Masjid in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007 in which nine people were killed. Five more died thereafter in clashes with the police. A cell phone-controlled pipe bomb had gone off at the historical Masjid during Friday prayers.
NIA was handed over the case in 2011 after which the agency chargesheeted five persons - Assemanand, Lokesh Sharma and Davinder Gupta (all under arrest) and Ramji Kalsangre and Sandeep Dange (both absconding).
Chaudhary would be questioned about his role in the blast cases as the probe has indicated that the planter of the bombs in Samjhauta Express and Mecca Masjid was the same, the sources in the probe agency said.
The breakthrough came after intense investigation being carried out by NIA in the Samjhauta case which was handed over to it in 2010.
The sources said NIA had mounted surveillance on the accused after getting a tip off from informers that he was living under an assumed name.
Chaudhary's is the fourth arrest in the case. NIA has already arrested Kamal Chauhan, Aseemanand and Lokesh Sharma for their alleged involvement in the Samjhauta case.
A huge explosion had occurred in Samjhauta Express near Panipat, Haryana, on February 18, 2007 and the subsequent fire in the coaches had resulted in the loss of 68 lives and injuries to 12 train passengers, including women and children.
The initial probe into the bomb blast was conducted by the Government Railway Police and Special Investigation Team of Haryana Police. It was subsequently taken over by NIA on July 29, 2010 following a directive from the Home Ministry.
NIA had on June 20, 2011, filed the charge-sheet before the special court under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against five accused - Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Aseemanand, Sunil Joshi (now dead), Lokesh Sharma, Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalasangra alias Ramji.
The investigating agency had in August this year also filed a supplementary charge-sheet in the case against a ‘disgruntled' RSS worker Kamal Chauhan and an associate in a special court at Panchkula charging them with murder, conspiracy and other offences.
Lokesh Sharma, a close associate of Sunil Joshi, had sent Chauhan and Chaudhary for the recee in December 2006, the sources said.
Later, Old Delhi railway station was selected (for planting the bomb) from where the train originates, they said.
Samjhauta Express was chosen as the target and both of them came to Indore on February 17, 2007 and took delivery of suitcase bombs to be planted in the train the next day.