B'luru blasts accused to face another case

Kerala cops claim 'fresh evidence' to link him to militant groups

The Kochi police have registered a case against the 2008 Bengaluru blasts accused, Thadiyantavide Nazeer, in the wake of “fresh evidence” linking him to “anti-national organisations.”

Police sources said the evidence was “unearthed” from documents seized from his aide, Shahanas P A, who was arrested in Kochi in November last year.

Shahanas, a 22-year-old native of Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district, was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for operating as a “messenger” between Nazeer, who is lodged in the Central Prison in Bengaluru, and his associates. “We have been examining messages routed through Shahanas. The content of one of the e-mails confirms that Nazeer was in touch with anti-national forces based outside of India, while still lodged in prison,” a senior police officer told Deccan Herald.

The officer, without divulging the contents of the e-mail, said the communication revealed “a continuing exchange with organisations working against national interests.” Following Shahanas’s arrest, the police raided his home and are said to have seized five mobile phones, seven SIM cards and a handcuff key. They said Nazeer had also been interacting with his associates through intermediary social media accounts. National agencies and a police team from Karnataka interrogated Shahanas over Nazeer’s alleged plans to influence witnesses in the Bengaluru blasts case.

Unconfirmed reports said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would formally take over the new case. Police sources said that the NIA might take over but the investigation team was still examining the seized material for possible breakthroughs.