Investigations have revealed that Tahseen Akhtar alias Monu, the alleged mastermind of the serial bomb blasts in Patna and Bodhgaya, was running a jewellery shop in Nepal.

During probe, it came to the fore that Tahseen, a resident of Maniarpur village in Samastipur, had set up a jewellery shop at Bhagwanisthan in Thamel near Kathmandu in Nepal before his name cropped up in the two serial blasts.

The shop named New Ali Boutique Nepali Jewellery had turned into a meeting point of several Indian Mujahideen operatives living in Nepal. Probe by the NIA have revealed that Tahseen was introduced to Yasin Bhatkal by Danish Ansari, who was arrested from Laheriasarai in Darbhanga early this year.

“Both Danish and Tahseen used to meet at the shop. We have information that Tahseen had met Bhatkal at the shop before the latter was arrested from India-Nepal border in August this year,” an investigating officer said.