NIA Arrests Another Suspect In Bhupatinagar Bomb Blast Case In Bengal

Pachanan Ghorai, a resident of Bhupatinagar Nagar in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, was arrested on Friday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) following sustained efforts by the chief investigating officer of the case. The arrest was made after a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against Ghorai during the investigation.

The Bhupatinagar Bomb Blast

The high-intensity blast occurred in the house of Raj Kumar Manna in Bhupatinagar, killing the owner on the spot and causing serious injuries to Buddhadeb Manna, also known as Lalu, and Biswajit Gayen. Both Lalu and Gayen later succumbed to their injuries. The blast, which took place on December 2, 2022, has been under investigation by the NIA since June 4, 2023, when the agency took over the case from the state police.

Supplementary Chargesheet

In July 2024, the NIA filed the first supplementary chargesheet against three accused in the 2022 Bhupatinagar blast case, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals. The charges against the three accused who were killed in the blast—Raj Kumar Manna, Biswajit Gayen, and Buddhadeb Manna—were abated. The chargesheet, filed before the Special Court in Calcutta, named the three deceased as well as three others: Panchanan Ghorai, Manobrata Jana, and Balai Charan Maity.

Of the latter three, Ghorai is out on bail, while Jana and Maity are in judicial custody. All six chargesheeted accused were found to be actively involved in the criminal conspiracy related to the bomb blast at Village Naruabila.

NIA’s Findings and Ongoing Investigations

The NIA has chargesheeted the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Explosive Substances (ES) Act. “The chargesheet filed before the NIA Special Court in Calcutta has exposed the criminal conspiracy involving the supply of explosives for making bombs to spread terror and violence in the region,” the NIA stated in a press release.

Further investigations are ongoing, as the NIA continues to unravel the details of the conspiracy and gather more evidence against those involved.

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