'Umar had plans to kill principal, vice-principal of a Bangladesh university'

Kolkata: Umar Faruque, alias Mahi, the active member of the "explosive wing" of the Ansar Bangla Team (ABT) had chalked out a plan to kill principal and vice-principal of a university in Bangladesh.

Officers of the Special Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata Police arrested Mahi from a bordering area in Indo-Nepal border on Tuesday night. He was remanded to police custody till December 12 after being produced before the Bankshall Court on Wednesday. The court has directed the police that the investigation in this connection has to be carried out by an officer of assistant commissioner rank.

Initially during the interrogation, Mahi tried to distract the police saying that he had chalked out a plan to kill a professor of Dhaka University. The investigating officers contacted Bangladesh police and came to know that Mahi was trying to distract them. Sources said during further interrogation, Mahi confessed that he, along with one Sohail and Rubail, went to kill the principal and vice-principal. They were carrying 9 mm pistols and injection with potassium cyanide.

But their attempt failed as officers of Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion reached the spot and there was exchange of fire. One officer of the battalion was injured. Though Mahi and Sohail managed to flee, Rabil was then arrested.

In a bid to avoid getting arrested, he crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border. He was in a hotel near Howrah Station from October 8 to 10 along with the two other ABT activists — Tamim and Nayan Gazi.

From Howrah, he went to Durgapur where he took shelter in a hideout for a few days and later he moved to Siliguri. The police conducted the raid on Tuesday evening when he was about to cross the Indo-Nepal border. He had reached a bordering village via Panitanki area. Police suspect that he had managed to establish some contact after reaching Siliguri who had assured him of help in crossing the border and fleeing to Nepal.

Police found several books including one of making Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and maps. The police have also recovered a fake Aadhaar card from Mahi.

The police have come to know that Mahi is an expert in making IEDs and he had even given training to some of the activists. It may be mentioned that the police have earlier arrested two ABT activists — Samsad and Riyazul. The police are now searching for Tamim and Nayan Gazi.