2 JMB men get 7.5 years’ RI over 2018 Bodh Gaya blast
Times of India | 8 July 2025
Kolkata: Two operatives of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were on Monday convicted and sentenced to seven and a half years of rigorous imprisonment by a city sessions court for planning blasts in Bodh Gaya in 2018.
Ahmad Ali and Mohammad Paigambar Sheikh were found guilty under UAPA, sections of IPC and the Explosive Substances Act. A separate investigation is underway into their role in the 2014 Khagragarh blast.
The court also imposed fines of Rs 18,000 on each convict, with an additional six months of simple imprisonment if they default on payment.
The terrorists' plan was partially foiled when an IED exploded prematurely near Kalchakra Maidan on Jan 19, 2018, preventing the placement of five other devices. Two additional IEDs were subsequently discovered near a Tibetan monastery where the Dalai Lama was staying.
During the investigation led by then ACP Pradip Das of the Special Task Force, authorities had recovered 50kg of ammonium nitrate, along with material used to make IEDs, including electrical tape, wires, switches and plastic lunch boxes. Officers also recovered an Indian passport, a cellphone, a laptop and incriminating documents from the possession of JMB members.