Kolkata police have launched raids to hunt down Kunio Hoshi's killer

Kolkata police have raided at least two locations in the city's sprawling port area since Friday evening, looking for the suspected killer of Kunio Hoshi.

The raids have been triggered by 'some definite inputs' passed on to Indian intelligence by Bangladesh agencies, said a top Intelligence Bureau official.

On condition of anonymity, he said, two addresses in the Kolkata port area with a description of the man were provided to Indian intelligence.

"They (Bangladesh agencies) believe this man is the one who killed Japanese national Kunio Hoshi on Oct 3. We have passed on the information to Kolkata police and they have already raided the location," the Intelligence Bureau official said.

But he was not prepared to share the details of the suspect.

"We can't give details of this suspect to the media for operational reasons," the IB official said.

The Middle East-based radical group Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the murder of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella and Japanese national Kunio Hoshi.

But neither Bangladesh nor Indian intelligence take that claim seriously.

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The IB official said Ansarullah Bangla, a local Islamist radical group, appeared to be active in Bangladesh with Islamic State blessings.

"The Islamic State needs to show they are all over and these local groups require the tag of a global player like Islamic State. That is how they get into a relationship," the official said.

So, is Hoshi's murder suspect that Kolkata police are hunting for an activist of the Ansarullah Bangla?

"No comments," said the IB official.

Kolkata police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha confirmed raids in the city's port area since Friday evening, but he refused to divulge any details.

"It is an important operation but I cannot provide details now. The operation is not over," Purkayastha told bdnews24.com.

Indian home ministry officials say Bangladesh has recently handed over a list of 204 criminals who have reportedly crossed over to India to seek shelter.

"Some of these names have figured in lists Bangladesh handed over to us in the past, meaning those criminals have lived in India for a while," said a home ministry official.

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But he added that some names were new including one suspected for murdering 'foreign nationals in recent months'.

The list was handed over during the recent dialogue between the home secretaries of India and Bangladesh.