West Bengal blast accused’s wife held

Dhaka: The wife of the prime accused in the Burdwan blast was on Monday arrested along with three of her aides by the Bangladesh police which also nabbed another five suspected militants, including a Pakistani national, as authorities stepped up crackdown against terrorists.

Fatema Begum, who confessed to provide militant training to at least 25 women in India, is the wife of prime accused Sajid, said Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

The October 2 blast in Burdwan in West Bengal killed two people and prompted the NIA to expand their probe to Bangladesh based militant groups.

Fatima, 25, is the chief of women’s wing of militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, Mr Rahman said. JMB is believed to have plotted to target Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia.