No link between Saradha scam money, Burdwan blast: NIA

NEW DELHI: National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India  in its charge sheet to be filed next month to a court may not mention the alleged involvement of Saradha chit fund scam money in Burdwan blasts, The Times of India reported Tuesday.
After five months of investigations and having arrested 17 people including a Bangladeshi national, NIA has reached a conclusion that there is no link between Saradha scam money and the Burdwan blast.
It has also not found any proof of transportation of bombs from India to Bangladesh for alleged destabilization of the Sheikh Hasina government as was suspected earlier.
The chargesheet is likely to also remain silent on the alleged transport of bombs from West Bengal to Bangladesh for there is little evidence to make such claims.
In November, BJP President Amit Shah had created a furore by claiming in a public meeting in West Bengal that Saradha scam money had funded Burdwan blasts.
Three days later, the government denied the charge in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha question. But it led to bitter exchanges between BJP and the ruling TMC in West Bengal.
TMC accused BJP of playing politics through false claims while BJP cautioned TMC that investigations were not over yet.
Agency sources, however, say that despite the arrest and detailed interrogation of Shahnoor Alam, the alleged financier of Burdwan blasts, no link between Saradha money and blasts could be established. They also denied involvement of any TMC member in the blasts as alleged by BJP.
"There no money trail between Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which carried out the blasts, and Saradha scam money or any member of TMC. It would be too far-fetched to link any contribution, if at all, made to Jammat-e-Islami in Bangladesh by anyone in India even though JeI and JMB are known to have links," said an officer privy to investigation details.
He added, "The agency is also chargesheeting the accused for conspiracy to execute terror attacks in India. There is no evidence to prove that the bombs were meant for attacks in Bangladesh except for the fact that JMB is an outfit opposed to the Hasina government and has carried out attacks in Bangladesh earlier."