Assam: Eight arrested fundamentalists remanded to 10 day police custody

Eight members of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), who were arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police on December 19, have been remanded to police custody for 10 days by a Guwahati court.

Speaking to ANI, Partha Sarathi Mahanta, IGP (STF) informed that the court sent them for 10 days police custody. "All arrested 8 accused were produced before the court yesterday (December 19) and they have been remanded 10 days' police custody. We also seized 4 pen drives and other incriminating documents which we are analysing. Among the 8 arrested persons one is Bangladeshi national. All follow up actions are underway," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. 

The Assam STF Chief also stated that the Bangladeshi national, identified as 36-year-old Md. Sad Radi alias Shab Seikh, is a resident of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. He had entered the country in November 2024 with the intent to spread their nefarious ideology and create sleeper cells among like-minded individuals across India, in order to initiate violent and subversive actions.

"Md. Sad Radi visited Assam and West Bengal to meet sleeper-cell activists of the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), before he moved to Kerala for the same purpose and Assam STF team arrested him from Kerala with the help of Kerala police. Two other persons named Minarul Sheikh (40) and Md. Abbas Ali (33) arrested from West Bengal with the help of West Bengal police. On the other hand, five others namely Nur Islam Mandal (40), Abdul Karim Mandal (30), Mojibar Rahman (46), Hamidul Islam (34) and Enamul Hoque (29) were arrested from Kokrajhar and Dhubri district of Assam," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. 
The STF Assam, lodged an FIR vide STF, Police Station under sections 61(2)/147/148/149 R/W Section 10/13/16/18/18B/20 UA(P) Act 1967 and R/W Section 12 (1)(a) of the Passport Act 1967 and launched the "Operation - Praghat" under the direct supervision of STF Chief, Dr. Partha Sarathi Mahanta and the teams were dispatched to various parts of the country for identifying the Jihadi elements, to apprehend them and during the intervening night of 17-18 December 2024, the teams simultaneously conducted search & seizure operations at the specified & identified locations in Kerala, West Bengal and Assam and arrested 8 persons.

"The incriminating documents and mobile phones with technical evidence seized from the arrested accused indicate their continuous communication across the border with Bangladesh & Pakistan based entities over the last couple of months. During the course of the investigation until now, significant revelations have come to light that, the module was working to establish Sleeper Cells across the country, particularly in Assam and West Bengal. These Sleeper Cells were intended to serve as covert operational units, poised for subversive and violent activities that would be initiated to disrupt peace and tranquillity as well as cause destruction of life and property," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. 

"The arrested accused played a pivotal role in aiding Md. Sad Radi in his mission to identify, recruit and indoctrinate individuals who share or were inclined towards similar Fundamentalist/Jihadi ideologies. By exploiting local vulnerabilities, religious sentiments and fault lines, they aimed to create a network capable of operating under the radar while remaining loyal to the broader objectives of their organization, to create disruption and chaos in India," he added.