Guwahati: The Assam Police on Monday (May 13) arrested two operatives of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a Bangladesh-based Islamic jihadi terror organisation affiliated to the al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS), from the Guwahati railway station.
Based on reliable intelligence input, the police arrested the duo, identified as Bahar Mia (30), a resident of Darkar village under the jurisdiction of Akaura police station in Bangladesh’s Brahmanbaria district and Rasel Mia (40), a resident of Mongalsidha village under the jurisdiction of Athpara police station in Bangladesh’s Netrokona district, Assam Police Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Pranab Jyoti Goswami said.
The duo was illegally staying in India without having passports and obtaining Indian documents through fraudulent means to spread a terror network in Assam and the country.
The police recovered several incriminating documents including Aadhar and PAN cards from the possession of the accused, he added.
These duo visited Guwahati targeting to mobilise and radicalise gullible Muslim youths of Assam and India to join the terror outfit and indulge in terror acts.
They were arrested in connection with Special Operations Unit (SOU) police station case 1/2024 under sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 121 (wage war against Indian government), 122 (collect men and arms or ammunition to wage war against the Indian government), 468 (forgery), and 471 (fraudulently using documents) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) read with section 10/13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), section 12 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and section 14 of Foreigners Act, 1946, CPRO Goswami further said.
At least 16 jihadis were arrested by the Assam Police in the state between March and April 2022.
The arrest of the jihadis then raised the eyebrows of the security agencies in India. Investigations revealed that the arrested jihadis are having links with the ABT.
The jihadis, most of whom were arrested from Barpeta district, were booked under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA.
The police had recovered incriminating documents like literature related to jihad, several handsets and SIM cards from the possession of the jihadi elements.
The Assam Police had claimed that the arrested jihadis were indoctrinating the youths of Assam by showing propaganda videos and teachings through jihad-related literature.