Suspected ISI agent arrested in Nepal over Kanpur train tracks sabotage | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Suspected ISI agent arrested in Nepal over Kanpur train tracks sabotage

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Feb 08, 2017 01:53 AM IST

One of the key suspects in the Kanpur train derailment in November last year has been arrested from an airport in Kathmandu after being deported from Dubai.

A Nepalese man, a suspected ISI operative and a key accused in the Kanpur train derailment case, has been arrested from an airport in Kathmandu after being deported from Dubai, NIA sources said on Tuesday.

Indian officials and bystanders gather beside the wreckage of train carriages at Rura, some 30kms west of Kanpur on December 28, 2016, following a train crash in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. At least two people died and 28 were injured after a train derailed in north India, close to the site of a previous rail accident that killed 146. / AFP PHOTO / SANJAY KANOJIA(AFP Photo)
Indian officials and bystanders gather beside the wreckage of train carriages at Rura, some 30kms west of Kanpur on December 28, 2016, following a train crash in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. At least two people died and 28 were injured after a train derailed in north India, close to the site of a previous rail accident that killed 146. / AFP PHOTO / SANJAY KANOJIA(AFP Photo)

National Investigating Agency sources said Shamsul Hoda was in Dubai when a local criminal Brij Giri, who was arrested in Nepal, exposed Hoda’s role in the derailment of Indore-Patna Express that went off the tracks near Kanpur Dehat in Pukhrayan killing 140 people on November 21.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“Hoda was departed back from Dubai to Nepal and arrested there. We will seek access to him through legal channels,” NIA sources said.

Bihar police are probing whether the train derailment was an act of sabotage with possible ties to Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). They arrested three men on charges of involvement in the incident in January this year and suspect Hoda was their handler and may have ISI links.

Official added that the accused were hired through a chain of handlers in Nepal and Dubai and the Dubai-based handler was connected to those in Pakistan. During questioning, one of the men accused the two others of receiving money from Hoda to plant bombs in public spaces and target the train line between Varanasi and Kanpur.

It is suspected that the same group was also involved in planting IED near Ghorasahan-Raxaul rail track along the Indo-Nepal border on October 1, 2016, that failed to go off.

“Nepal police will also work in close coordination with the Indian police for Hoda’s alleged involvement in criminal activities in India,” a top Nepalese police official, Pashupati Upadhyaya, told PTI.

Hoda is also the mastermind of a twin murder in Bara district of Nepal, the police said.

Three others were also arrested with Hoda and have been are identified as Brij Kishor Giri, Ashish Singh and Umesh Kumar Kurmi, who belong to Kalaiya district in southern Nepal.

Hoda has links with international criminal groups and he has been involved in a number of criminal activities in Nepal and India, the officer said. A case has been registered against him in Bara district court, he added.

(With inputs from PTI)

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Rajesh Ahuja covers internal security and also follows investigation agencies such as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On