K'taka: NIA set to take over probe in case of arrest of 5 people radicalised to carry out terror attacks

Bengaluru: Months after the Karnataka Police arrested five people who were allegedly radicalised to carry out terror attacks, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is now all set to take up the investigation, police said on Thursday.

They were arrested in July by the Central Crime Branch after raiding a place under Hebbal police station limits here.

“We have received the order. The NIA will come and take over the case. Once they come, we will hand over the case to them officially,” a senior police officer told PTI.

According to police, the suspects were radicalised by T Nazeer, who is an accused in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blasts case, and another accused living abroad.

The suspects are accused of murder, robbery, smuggling of red sanders and other crimes. They were in touch with the other terror accused lodged in jail. Nazeer has links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Nazeer’s gang members were planning on carrying out ‘destructive activities’, the police had said.

Seven pistols, 12 mobile phones, 45 live cartridges, a bunch of walkie-talkies, and some daggers were seized from the terror suspects. A huge consignment of explosives was also retrieved from their possession.