A day after the Particular Process Drive of Assam and West Bengal arrested two individuals from Murshidabad, the West Bengal police on Friday mentioned that the 2 have hyperlinks with banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Workforce (ABT) and a “sleeper cell” was on a “recruitment drive” in West Bengal.
ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar whereas talking with mediapersons acknowledged, “ABT was banned in 2013-2015 in Bangladesh, India, the UK, and the US. They’re identified to have dedicated murders of bloggers between 2013-2015, robberies, and have been organising sleeper cells for terror actions in India. They have been primarily recruiting from two locations – Murshidabad and Alipurduar. They have been planning terror actions within the Rooster’s Neck, Siliguri hall. An individual known as Farhan was the top of the sleeper cell.”
The police investigations have revealed that ABT was trying to “establish kids utilizing communal fissures and all of the financial disparities and thus would decide up youths who’re helpful for his or her ideologies.” To this finish, the top of the ABT, alongside together with his shut affiliate Farhan, had despatched an individual named Saad Radi to India for recruitment functions. Radi visited three states – West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala – throughout his recruitment drive, mentioned police.
Gaurav Sharma, IG STF, West Bengal, mentioned, “There was an enter and a well-coordinated joint operation wherein Assam police wanted our assist. ABT have been making an attempt to arrange sleeper cells within the nation. They have been recruiting youths within the nation.”
Radi was subsequently arrested in an operation involving 17-18 steady raids carried out concurrently in Assam and was apprehended in Kerala. Abbas Sheikh and Minarul Sheikh have been arrested from Murshidabad’s Hariharpara. The police recovered 4 cellphones, a pen drive, Islamic spiritual books and pretend paperwork from the 2 suspects.
The Assam STF additionally arrested 5 individuals from Assam and one from Kerala.
“Manirul, a 48-year-old pump mechanic, was trying to determine a small madrasa for 10-12 college students. Abbas, 29, has a previous prison file, having been arrested in a POCSO and kidnapping case and launched on bail after serving two years in jail,” mentioned Sharma.
ADG Sarkar mentioned that Abbas and Minarul, a part of a eight-member group, arrested by the Bengal, Kerala and Assam police, have been picked up by STF Assam in collaboration with West Bengal Police throughout a raid in Murshidabad. “We now have recovered a 16GB pen drive, some literature, and pretend identification playing cards from the 2 suspects, recognized as Abbas and Minarul Sheikh. We suspect they have been a part of a sleeper module aiming to create instability in delicate areas of south and north Bengal, in addition to within the seven sister states of the Northeast. They have been organising bases in Murshidabad and Alipurduar districts, with plans to get rid of outstanding Hindu leaders within the japanese and northeastern areas and perform assaults much like the 2015 hacking of a blogger in Bangladesh,” he mentioned.
“A joint interrogation might be carried out, we’re eager on to know their plans and actions in Bengal, on our aspect within the State in addition to in our nation. The best way that they had arrange the cell, it’s clear that they have been making an attempt to trigger disruption within the nation by doing terror actions. Particular targets have been the Rooster’s Neck, which is the Siliguri Hall, so recruitment was one of many essential components of their actions, together with the procurement of arms for the aim. We’re eager to unearth any extra modules concerned,” Sharma additional mentioned.
Sarkar additionally identified that Murshidabad had change into a transit route for members of banned Bangladeshi outfits like Ansar-al-Islam. The 2 arrested individuals, together with the others, have been allegedly tasked with procuring weapons to hold out subversive actions within the area, police mentioned.
— WITH PTI
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