Three with alleged links to Ansarul Bangla arrested in Assam; mobiles, laptop seized

Three persons with alleged links to the Bangladeshi proscribed outfit Ansarul Bangla Team (ABT), an affiliate of the Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), were arrested from Assam’s Dhubri district during a search operation on Monday, a police officer said.

Acting on information from ABT members arrested earlier, the police launched an operation and arrested three persons with links to the outfit from different parts of the district, SP Aparna Natarajan told reporters in Dhubri.

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During the preliminary investigation, police found that the trio had a history of financial transactions with ABT members arrested earlier from Barpeta, Goalpara, Morigaon and Dhubri, said the SP. Further investigations are on and the police suspect that the arrested persons may have connections with active ABT members who are hiding in other states, Natarajan said.

The arrested trio are Shafiqul Islam, arrested from Bagulamari area of the town, Muzahidul Mondal from Sastarghat Part-ll and Badshah Sheikh from Takimari, the SP said. The police will register cases under different sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the SP added.

Mobile phones and a laptop have been seized from their possession. The state police had busted nine modules of the ABT and Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and arrested 53 people last year.

(With Agency inputs)