Guwahati/New Delhi: A Bangladeshi national linked to an Al-Qaeda affiliate was among eight suspects arrested by Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) in Kerala for plotting attacks on RSS and other Hindu organizations.
The prime suspect, identified as Md Sad Radi (also known as Md Shab Seikh), is a 32-year-old Bangladeshi who illegally entered India in November. His objective was to activate sleeper cells in Assam and West Bengal. Acting on intelligence inputs, the STF, in coordination with Kerala and Bengal police, launched “Operation Praghat” to thwart the group’s plans.
Reports suggest the suspects were working under Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani, leader of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an Al-Qaeda affiliate active in the Indian subcontinent. Their primary targets included RSS leaders and Hindu groups, with the intention of inciting communal unrest.
Special DGP Harmeet Singh of Assam praised the operation as a crucial step in combating jihadist elements within India, particularly given the growing instability in Bangladesh and nearby regions.
The investigation revealed that Sad Radi had met with ABT sleeper cells in Assam and West Bengal before relocating to Kerala to strengthen their network. The joint operations conducted on December 17-18 across Kerala, Bengal, and Assam led to the arrest of eight individuals:
- Minarul Sheikh (40)
- Md Abbas Ali (33)
- Nur Islam Mandal (40)
- Abdul Karim Mandal (30)
- Mojibar Rahman (46)
- Hamidul Islam (34)
- Enamul Haque (29)
The STF disclosed that suspects Nur Islam Mandal and Mazibur Rahman were actively recruiting youth in West Bengal for terror outfits like ABT and AQIS. They held recruitment meetings in Murshidabad and Falakata, where plans to target RSS leaders and Hindu figures were discussed to fuel communal discord and destabilize the region.
Initial findings indicate that the group was plotting assassinations and other disruptive activities to create chaos and undermine peace in the region.
