Assam Police arrests 16 persons including absconding Bangladeshi terrorist

Assam Police has so far arrested 16 persons including a Bangladeshi terrorist from different parts of the state for their link with Ansarul Bangla Team (ABT) and Al-Qaida Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Hiren Nath, Additional Director General of Police (Special Branch) of Assam Police said that in recent three cases, police have arrested 16 persons so far. "Out of them, one named Md Suman alias Saiful Islam alias Haroon Rashid hailing from Bangladesh's Narayanganj district is the kingpin. He escaped from Bangladesh. In the month of February last year, the anti-terror tribunal of Dhaka passed a death sentence against six persons and he was among the six persons who were absconding," Hiren Nath told ANI.

He further informed that Md Suman escaped from Bangladesh and came to West Bengal after that again went to Bangladesh.

"He escaped from Bangladesh and came to West Bengal and he went to Deoband and he again came back to Bangladesh and then he came to Barpeta district of Assam. In the Barpeta district, he said that he is an orphan and got sympathy from the locals. After some time, he married a local girl and they had a child also and then he started indoctrination among the locals," the ADGP said.

According to him, there was no formal arms training but the terrorist started indoctrination and spreading Jihadi ideas.

"There was no formal arms training but started indoctrination spreading of Jihadi ideas. We also came to know about the arrest of three persons in Tripura and immediately we sent a team to Tripura and they were brought here and later we arrested some other people," he added.

The top Assam cop further said that the state police have also busted another module in the Barpeta district and 16 people have been arrested so far. "Jihadi activities are fundamentalist activities, especially in the North-Eastern region and this is a long plan by the vested interest by the ISI agents and it is an organized gang who are operating across the border. This is not a new thing," the police official stated.

Citing an example of other such incidents, Hiren Nath said, "In the 90s, Assam police had busted a gang of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Hizbul Mujahideen and then JMB in 2014. We had arrested about 64 people and recovered crude bombs which were similar to blasts in Bangladesh and now ABT. Every time, police got advance information and acted very swiftly and busted all the gangs."

He also said that Ansarul Bangla Team (ABT) has supported Al-Qaeda and ISI. "Yesterday (April 24), we arrested a person and recovered seven bank passbooks from a garage in Bongaigaon. We are examining all things as to where money is coming. We have found that one account is with one guy from the Kariganj district which shares a border with Bangladesh. We are keeping a sharp watch on these radical groups' activities," the police official said.

He further assured that Assam Police is investigating every piece of evidence.

"Apart from the lower Assam part, we are trying to find out is there any connection with other parts of the state," the ADGP (SB) said.

He also informed that police have recovered pieces of literature, and other materials from the arrested persons. "We have not found any evidence of organizing any arms training camp by ABT in Assam so far. They were trying most probably, but we busted them. We are getting adequate support from the common people to bust them," Nath added.

( With inputs from ANI )