India’s National Investigation Agency officials arrive | Sunday Observer

India’s National Investigation Agency officials arrive

2 June, 2019

The team from India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) is here to question one of the Easter Sunday bomb suspects and share critical information of the suspects’ links to Indian terror outfits, official sources confirmed.The NIA team arrived in the country a few days ago and Indian media reported that the two-member team, headed by Inspector General Alok Mittal.

Initial investigations by the CID and the TID have uncovered that Islamic fundamentalists, behind the massacres were linked to fundamentalist cells in India. The mastermind, Zahran Hasheem had travelled to southern India last year. It has been revealed that he delivered radical sermons asking youth to join him in his pledge to make an Islamic region in Tamil Nadu and Kerala .

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is questioning 66 suspects including seven women while there are 21 in Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) custody including two women.

‘Indian agencies are trying to make sure that the Sri Lankan-style attacks do not take place in India,’ the Hindustan Times reported.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian coast guard surveillance units had not picked up a boat that was reportedly heading to Kerala carrying men with possible links to the Easter Sunday attacks, so far.

Indian media reported the boat was heading to Minicoy Island in Lakshadweep and security had been stepped up in the area in anticipation of its arrival.

Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Isuru Sooriyabandara said that they were still maintaining special security measures put in place for border protection after the April 21 attacks.

The Indian authorities had also confirmed that the boat did not turn up at their shores. “The boat may have turned back after the news leaked,” an authoritative security source said.

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