New Delhi, February 24
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a co-conspirator in the 2023 Ram Navami violence case.
Qamran Quraishi alias Sharukh Qureshi, a resident of Serampore of district Hooghly, West Bengal, is the first accused to be arrested in the case by NIA, which took over the case on 10th May 2023. Earlier, the state police had arrested 48 accused, all of whom are currently out on bail.
Quraishi was taken into custody by NIA and booked under various sections of IPC, West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act, Arms Act, Police Act and PDPP Act.
The NIA Kolkata branch office team also seized from him three swords, along with some ash coloured powder with the smell of gun powder and wrapped in a newspaper concealed in a black polythene bag. The bag was found hidden inside two mobile phone boxes. Some loan document copies were also seized from the accused.
The case relates to the outbreak of violence between two communities on the occasion of Ram Navami, in front of the Barao Masjid area under Seampore in April 2023.
During investigation, NIA found the violence to be the result of a criminal conspiracy, with members of one community being instigated by the conspirators to attack the other community during a religious procession.
