Two ‘masterminds’ of a conspiracy to build bombs get bail days after NIA chargesheet

Two alleged masterminds of a conspiracy to build bombs in West Bengal’s Amta area in February 2022, have been granted bail within three months of their arrest and a little more than a week after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet against them.

A Kolkata court allowed the two accused, Asfar Middya and Entajul Middya, to be freed on bail after furnishing a bond of ₹50,000 each while noting that the “nature and gravity of the allegations that has ultimately come out from the report of investigation (NIA’s probe) does not make the present case eligible for custody trial in respect of the present accused persons”.

“No direct recovery of any incriminating materials have been made from the possession of the present accused persons,” the special NIA court added in its order, reviewed by HT.

The federal anti-terror agency had, on June 24 this year, a day after arresting the duo had claimed in a statement that Asfar Middya and Entajul Middya, both hailing from Amta area of Howrah (Rural), have been “identified as the prime accused, under whose directions the crude bombs were being illegally manufactured near Chandrapur Bazar in Amta police station area on February 23, 2022”.

Some of the bombs had exploded, severely injuring four people - Jahadhar Mollah, Mohabbat Mollah, Moinur Rahaman and Sk Maharam. Of these, Sk Maharam had later succumbed to his injuries.

The NIA had taken over the probe in the conspiracy in April 2024.

“Asfar and Entajul were controlling the bomb manufacturing operation, and the bombs were intended for use to threaten and terrorise people in the area,” NIA said after their arrest.

It also noted in its submissions before the court that “the explosive devices were manufactured under the direct command, supervision, and instruction of Entazul and Asfar Middya”.

Even though the NIA opposed their bail plea by claiming that their release on bail “at this stage would cause hindrance in trial as there is a chance of intimidation of witnesses”, the judge rejected the argument. The judge noted that there is no mention in the NIA charge sheet that any part of investigation is left in connection with the Asfar and Entajul Middya. “It has only been mentioned that the investigation is still going on in respect of other suspected offenders,” the court said, while allowing the bail. It, however, directed the accused persons not to leave West Bengal until further orders.

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  Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More