Bhangar blast probe: NIA raids ex-TMC MLA Saokat Mollah’s home

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday (June 4) searched the residence of former TMC MLA Saokat Mollah in South 24-Parganas district in connection with its probe into a bomb blast in Bhangar ahead of the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections.

An NIA team, accompanied by Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel, arrived at Mollah’s residence at Moukhali in the Bhangar area in the morning and carried out extensive searches.

Around 10 vehicles were reportedly part of the operation, NIA teams also visited several houses in Bamunia village, where the explosion had occurred.

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Mollah was reportedly not at home when the agency team arrived. His son, Imran Mollah, was brought to the premises by investigators and accompanied the NIA team during the search.

Bhangar blast probe

The searches are linked to the agency’s investigation into a bomb blast in Bamunia village of Bhangar in which one person was killed, and several others were injured. Following the incident, the Indian Secular Front (ISF) had demanded an NIA probe into the case.

One person was killed, and three others sustained critical injuries in a crude bomb explosion at Dakshin Bamunia village in South 24-Parganas district on March 19, while bombs were allegedly being made there.

The agency also searched Saokat Mollah’s office as part of the operation. His wife and daughter reached the residence while the searches were underway.

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Officials said investigators were examining documents and collecting information relevant to the blast case. Security arrangements were tightened in and around the area, with local police deployed outside the residence.

Previous arrests

The NIA had earlier taken over the investigation into the blast and arrested several people, including TMC leader Wahidul Islam, in connection with the case.

Searches were conducted at the residence of Wahidul Islam, while investigators also visited the homes of individuals who had transported the injured to hospital after the blast. “It is aimed at gathering evidence and verifying information connected to the ongoing investigation,” PTI quoted an official as saying.

Mollah, who represented the Canning Purba Assembly constituency and won elections in 2016 and 2021, recently had his security cover withdrawn by the West Bengal government.

He became a centre of attention during the recently concluded elections for all the wrong reasons. A song dubbing him as “maach chor” (fish thief) went viral during the campaign, prompting him to threaten legal action for defamation though he never filed a formal complaint.

(With agency inputs)