Six persons, including the mastermind of the recent Varanasi blasts (March 7th) and five of his accomplices, were arrested on Wednesday by the Uttar Pradesh police and Central security agencies.

A module of the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islamia (HuJI) was also busted which has links to Pakistan’s Jaish-e-Mohammed terror organisation. Wali Ullah, who organized and co-coordinated the blasts, and his accomplices were arrested from different parts of the State and a large quantity of arms and ammunition recovered from them, Jagmohan Yadav, Inspector-General of Special Task Force (STF) of the police, told reporters.

Wali Ullah is the Imam of a mosque in Phoolpur near Allahabad. The STF said three others from Bangladesh—Bashir, Mustafeez and Zakariya—who planted the bombs, were still at large.

The STF described Wali Ullah as the HuJI area commander for eastern UP. While the police claimed he had given them “vital information” on the Delhi blasts last October and another on the Shramjeevi Express last July.

The five arrested with Wali Ullah, the STF said, were sent to Pakistan for training via Bangladesh. STF IG Jagmohan Yadav said the plan for the Varanasi blasts was given final shape on the night of February 23-24.

The three Bangladeshi youths reached Phoolpur on March 3 and left for Varanasi on March 7, the STF said.

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