Mumbai: In a major intelligence-based operation, the Mumbai Police has arrested three suspects allegedly involved in the sensational firing and bomb blast case reported from Kolkata during the recently-concluded West Bengal elections.
The accused were identified as Shamim Ahmad Abdul Rashid (40), Jameel Akhtar alias Akhtar Ali (43), and Aftab Anwar Khurshid Anwar (44), all residents of Shibpur in Howrah district of West Bengal.
The trio was arrested by Unit-6 of the Mumbai Crime Branch-CID based on intelligence inputs received by Police Inspector Bharat Ghone. They were traced to a flat on the eighth floor of the Ekta SRA Building in the Deonar area of Mumbai.
According to police, the case relates to an incident that took place on May 7 in the Shibpur area of Howrah, when a group of nearly 100 to 150 anti-social elements allegedly carried out bomb blasts and firing, creating panic among residents.
Police alleged that the mob was led by Shamim Ahmed, popularly known as "Bore", husband of a former councillor from Ward No. 36, along with several associates.
"We apprehended the three accused by effectively using technical and human intelligence inputs. The accused were subsequently brought to the unit office for further inquiry, during which their involvement in the offence was confirmed," Inspector Bharat Ghone said.
Police said the accused would be medically examined before being handed over to the Shibpur Police Station in Howrah for further legal proceedings.
According to the complaint, the armed mob allegedly entered the locality unlawfully between 2.30 pm and 3 pm on May 7 and unleashed violence, including bomb attacks and firing, triggering fear among local residents. Several other accused named in the FIR are still under investigation.