New Delhi, Feb 19 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another accused in the 2023 Ram Navami violence case in West Bengal, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.
Qamran Quraishi alias Sharukh Qureshi, co-conspirator in the case, is a resident of Serampore of district Hooghly, West Bengal, it said.
Quraishi was taken into custody on Tuesday by the probe agency, said the statement issued by the NIA
The NIA's 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, it said.
"The bag was found hidden inside two mobile phone boxes. Some loan document copies were also seized from the accused," the statement said.
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 police station limits on April 2, 2023.
During investigation, the 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.
The NIA took over the investigation on May 10, 2023. The federal agency last year arrested several accused in connection with the case.
Earlier, the state police had arrested 48 accused, all of whom are currently out on bail.