GUWAHATI: Six men allegedly affiliated with Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a Bangladesh-based terror outfit with links to Al Qaeda, have been arrested in Assam’s Barpeta district, a senior police officer said on Saturday.
The six people, all Indian nationals, were arrested from different parts of Barpeta district on Friday. They were produced in court on Saturday and remanded in police custody for 10 days.
The ABT is an Islamic terror outfit with links to Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
Friday’s arrests follow the arrest of 5 persons including a Bangladeshi national from Barpeta last month with links to ABT.
“The six persons were arrested from different parts of Barpeta on Friday based on specific inputs. All of them are affiliated with ABT, which in turn has links with AQIS,” said Barpeta superintendent of police Amitava Sinha.
“They were produced in court on Saturday and we have taken them on remand for 10 days. Further investigations are underway to find out more about their network and plans,” he added.
The arrested persons are Jahidul Islam, Mokibul Islam, Mufti Suleiman, Saddam Hussain, Rasidul Islam and Musharaf Hussain. Of them, Mokibul is alleged to have links with the Kerala-headquartered Popular Front of India (PFI).
Last month police in Barpeta arrested Saiful Islam (aka Mohammed Suman and Harun Rashid), Khairul Islam, Badshah Suleiman Khan, Noushad Ali and Taimur Rahman Khan.
During investigations, police said it transpired that Saiful Islam, who is a citizen of Bangladesh, illegally entered India and was working as a teacher in Dhakalipara mosque of Barpeta district.
According to police, Islam allegedly indoctrinated and motivated the four others to join the module of ABT and intended to develop Barpeta as a base for terror activities.
