Guwahati, Jan 21: In its ongoing operation against Jehadi terror networks, the Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has arrested another associate of the Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a terror group affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
The latest arrest of Ajibar Rahman (31) from Dhubri, a district bordering Bangladesh and West Bengal, brings the total number of ABT-linked individuals apprehended by the STF to 14. Arrests have been made across Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala under the operation named “Praghat.”
According to an Assam Police spokesperson, the detainees were allegedly operating under the directive of Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani, the chief of ABT. The group is accused of spreading radical ideologies and attempting to establish operational networks within India.
One such operative, identified as Md Sad Radi alias Shab Sheikh, a Bangladeshi national from Rajshahi, was reportedly sent to India to disseminate the ABT’s extremist ideology among like-minded individuals across the country.
“Evidence indicates that their activities were structured to enhance the operational capabilities of extremist groups, to destabilize national security and sovereignty,” the spokesperson stated, adding that investigations are underway to expose the full extent of the terror network.
The crackdown has gained momentum in recent weeks. On January 18, STF officers arrested Jaheer Ali, a wanted ABT operative, also from Dhubri. Similarly, on December 30, the absconding prime accused, Gazi Rahman (35), was apprehended in Kokrajhar with the assistance of local police.
