GUWAHATI: In a significant intelligence-driven operation, Assam Police’s Special Task Force, in collaboration with the Kerala and West Bengal Police, dismantled a major terror module linked to the Ansarullah Bangla Team.
This organization, linked to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), was suspected of planning mass sabotage operations in India. In the coordinated operation that occurred on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, eight operatives were arrested across Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam, according to Assam Police CPRO, Pranabjyoti Goswami.
Md Sad Radi, also known as Md Shab Sheikh, was one of those detained Bangladeshi nationals from Kerala. Radi, who is said to have entered India in November, was arrested for spreading ABT’s radicalist ideology and setting up sleeper cells across the country.
Other individuals arrested include Minarul Sheikh (40) and Md Abbas Ali (33) from West Bengal, along with Nur Islam Mandal (40), Abdul Karim Mandal (30), Mojibar Rahman (46), Hamidul Islam (34), and Enamul Hoque (29), all hailing from Assam’s Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts. The operation, code-named “Operation Praghat”, was led by STF chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta.
It was initiated in the wake of intelligence reports about the secret anti-national activities of Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of ABT chief Jasimuddin Rahmani. Investigations found the module had been strategically trying to infiltrate areas like Assam and West Bengal in order to create sleeper cells and expand their influence network.
The terror module attempted to utilize local vulnerabilities and communal fault lines to gain access into the minds of people and recruit those who shared their fundamentalist ideologies. Their strategies were to set up sleeper-operation units, train the recruited, and prepare for further subversion. Md Sad Radi was essentially the key man in these operations as he traversed Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala, meeting key members of the ABT Sleeper Cell and coordinating such operations.
Evidence recovered in the operation included documents and mobile phones indicating continued cross-border communication with entities in Bangladesh and Pakistan in recent months. These evidence results demonstrate that the terror group depends on international relations to enhance its activities and plans.
It has been emphasized that intelligence sharing and inter-state coordination are significant in the fight against global terrorism. This operation, having busted a serious threat, also underlined the importance of proactive measures to defeat plots of this nature. Investigations into the matter are still underway, but the operation leaves an indelible reminder about the need for constant vigilance to protect national security and maintain peace.
