Patna blasts: One more arrested from Dhanbad

Patna  :  Following a tip off from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Bihar police have arrested a person, Raju Sao, from Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district in connection with the Patna serial blasts, police said Monday.

Raju Sao was arrested from Jharia in Dhanbad when a Bihar police team conducted raids late Sunday in search of his brothers Jitendra Sao, Pappu Sao and Bittu Sao, who were not found, a police official said.

“Police have brought Raju Sao to the state’s Lakhisarai district for interrogation,” a police official said.

Three days ago, the NIA detained six people and seized dozens of bank passbooks, ATM cards and other documents in Lakhisarai, about 150 km from here, during raids at several places in connection with the Oct 27 Patna blasts.

“Four of the six people including Gopal Kumar Goyal, Vikas Kumar, Pawan Kumar and Ganesh Kumar were sent to jail on the charge of providing financial help to terror suspects after they were produced in court,” Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police Rajeev Mishra said.

Mishra said police are investigating a possible Pakistan ISI link with the four. But he denied that they had any link with the Indian Mujahideen.

Police teams from Lakhisarai and Munger districts were sent to Dhanbad on the basis of information given by arrested suspect Gopal Kumar Goyal.

In the last three days, the NIA has conducted raids at several places in Bihar in search of those involved in the blasts.

Earlier this week, Bihar Police formally handed over investigation of the serial blasts to the NIA.

The NIA also raided Muzaffarpur and Motihari in search of suspects.

At least six people were killed and nearly 100 injured in the blasts ahead of Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally.