Assam police arrests 2 Bangladesh-linked terrorists, finds hidden cache of weapons - rifles, bullets and explosives

Two more members of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) terrorist group were recently arrested, as per media reports. This comes a week after the authorities apprehended eight ABT operatives from Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala.

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam Police arrested the two members who are a part of Bangladesh-based terror group affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a senior police officer informed NDT.

The arrested individuals were identified as Abdul Zaher Sheikh and Sabbir Mirdha. On Tuesday night, Special Task Force-led operation apprehended the suspects from Namapara in Kokrajhar district, NDTV reported citing Special Director General of Police Harmeet Singh's statement.

"With the arrest of the two more ABT cadres, the STF achieved a huge success in averting a possible major terror act by fundamentalist and jihadi elements of a global terrorist organisation," Harmeet Singh added. This led authorities to uncover a cache of weapons, ranging from handmade rifles to explosives.

The stock of arms, ammunition and other weapons seized includes four handmade rifles that resemble the AK series assault rifles, 34 bullets and 24 rounds of blank cartridges. In addition to this, several explosives were also found, including a pair of live unprimed improvised explosive device (IED), a crude grenade, detonators made with agricultural equipment, 14 electronic switches, three iron cases used for making of IEDs and 20 iron pieces and plates for causing maximum damage and destruction.

Operation Praghat

During the intervening night of December 17 and 18, the police arrested 8 ABT operatives, as part of ‘Operation Praghat.’ The police caught Bangladeshi national, Muhammad Sad Radi aka. Md Shab Seikh from Kerala, five others from Assam's Kokrajhar and Dhubri, and two from West Bengal.

According to police, these suspects had been working to set up sleeper cells in different parts of India, while collaborating with handlers located in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Investigation revealed that these individuals planned to kill leaders belonging to the Hindu community and the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), besides other violent and subversive activities, apart from carrying out violent and subversive activities.