NIA files charge sheet against Bangalore Church Street Blast accused
FollowThe National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge-sheet on Monday against the main accused of the Bangalore Church Street blast that took place in December 2014, which killed a woman and left three others injured.
According to reports, Alam Zeb Afridi, alias Mohammed Rafiq, alias Javed, who was arrested on January 22 in Bangalore, has been charged with the commission of offences punishable under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
"During the investigation, he admitted to his primary role in preparing the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and placing it near Coconut Grove Bar and Restaurant in a bid to target some Israeli tourists, who were supposed to dine at the restaurant that evening," NIA said.
In the official statement released by NIA, Afridi, a permanent resident of New Ashiyana Colony in Juhapura, Ahmedabad, had also confessed to his involvement in the serial blasts in Ahmedabad in the year 2008.
After fleeing the state, he entered Bangalore and started working as an AC mechanic almost five years back under the false identity of Mohammad Rafiq.
NIA further revealed that he had also been involved in committing arson at the Israeli Visa Centre in Bangalore on two occasions - on August 05 2014 and November 29, 2015.
They also said that it was only after a painstaking analysis of a large number of CCTV footages, that they were able to release a video footage of the suspect on YouTube in January, which helped them nab the culprit.
The agency is now investigating the case further to hunt down the online handlers of Afridi, who are responsible for guiding him.
