The National Investigation Agency on Saturday arrested two key

conspirators in a 2022 blast case amid an attack on the probe agency's team
by a crowd in West Bengal's East Medinipore district, an official said in
New Delhi.

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: ANI Photo

An NIA officer was injured and a vehicle belonging to the probe agency was
damaged in the attack, a spokesperson of the federal investigating agency
said.
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A spokesperson of the NIA on Saturday said, "In a major breakthrough in
West Bengal's Bhupatinagar blast case, in which three persons were killed
in December 2022, the NIA arrested two key conspirators amid stiff
resistance from an unruly crowd in the state's East Medinipore district."
The duo -- Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana -- were arrested after
extensive searches at five locations, including the house of Jana, where
locals tried to obstruct the NIA team.
The crowd tried to stop the NIA team and its security component from
moving towards the Bhupatinagar police station to complete the arrest
formalities. The NIA has lodged a complaint at the local police station in
this regard.
The NIA spokesperson said Jana and Maity were found to have conspired
to manufacture and explode crude bombs to spread terror.
Three persons were killed when an explosion ripped apart the kutcha house
of Rajkumar Manna in Bhupatinagar on December 3, 2022. Rajkumar
Manna, Biswajit Gayen and Buddhadeb Manna were grievously injured in
the blast and later died.
The state police initially registered an FIR on December 3, 2022, against
the three men killed in the explosion but the provisions of the Explosive
Substances Act were not applied. Subsequently, a writ petition was filed
before the Calcutta High Court with a prayer for transferring the case to the
NIA.
The NIA took over the case on June 4, 2023, on the high court's order dated
March 21, 2023, and re-registered a case under various sections of law,
including the Explosive Substances Act.
During the investigation, the NIA uncovered the role of several other
accused in the case, including Manobrata Jana of Naruabila village and
Balai Charan Maity of Ninaruya Analberia.