KOLKATA: In a startling revelation, the National Investigation Agency said that the terrorist module operating in Bengal had a specific design where not only local agents but also local politicians may have played an active role.

In their report to NIA DG Sharad Kumar , sleuths hinted at the involvement of at least 40 politicians helped these terrorists gain a foothold in Bengal. National security advisor Ajit Doval , who met chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, is said to have briefed the home minister that JMB terrorists had a diabolical plan of slipping into India and marrying local girls to get local identities and mask their terror activities.

Central agencies have zeroed in on two masterminds — Anisur and Mufazzal Hussain — responsible for setting up the Bengal modules. Mufazzal set up two madrassas in Murshidabad. Both the JMB men responsible for training people to make IEDs are feared to have fled to Bangladesh. A status report on the probe into the Burdwan blast states at least 165 to 190 Bangladeshis managed to sneak into India in the past few months to join these JMB terror modules.

Investigators have identified as many as 27 routes used by terrorists to move within the country and sneak out. NIA has broadly divided the routes in three categories — inter-district, inter-state and borders with Bangladesh and Nepal. According to investigators, nearly 58 terror modules had bases in nine districts of Bengal, including Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia, Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Howrah, and South and North 24-Parganas.

The routes were chosen to give them easy access to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Sikkim and Bangladesh and Nepal.

“After crossing over, the Bangladeshis adopted a two-pronged strategy. They married an Indian girl and managed a driving licence first. With the licence, they managed to get voter’s ID card, ration card and sometimes even a passport. Local politicians helped get these documents, says the report. “Local leaders also helped them find shelter and sometimes even gave them logistic support,” a source in NIA said.

According to a state government official, chief minister Mamata Banerjee admitted that there were some lapses but assured Doval that the state will cooperate fully with central agencies to combat terrorism.