Terror module planned to incite communal tensions in West Bengal

way2barak, December 22:  The Ansarullah Bangla Team’s sleeper cell, which operated from Bangladesh with several recruits here, held several meetings in Hariharpara and a couple of other spots in Murshidabad and Falakata in Alipurduar.

Participants deliberated on fanning communal tension by targeting important religious figures residing in Bengal and Assam.

Among those present in these meetings, conducted in Nov, was Bangladeshi national Saad Rabi alias Saab Sk (36) and his associates. Rabi was sent to India by Farhan Ishraqt, a close aide of Md Jasimuddin Rahmani, who heads ABT. Present in these meetings were ABT’s two Bengal sleeper cell members Abbas Ali (29) and Minarul Sheikh (48).

“During these meetings, plans were made to smuggle arms through porous corridors of north Bengal to assassinate prominent leaders or to even arrange them locally through contacts in Nepal,” said an investigating officer.

The motive behind these actions was to incite religious tension and disturbances, aiming to disrupt communal harmony and destabilise the region, the Bengal STF claimed.

Police investigations revealed that ABT was attempting to “identify youngsters using communal fissures and all the economic disparities and thus would pick up youths who are useful for their ideologies”. “They were mainly recruiting from two places — Murshidabad and Alipurduar. They were planning terror activities in the Chicken’s Neck. Farhan was the head of the sleeper cell,” said Gaurav Sharma, IG (STF).

According to police, under the leadership of Ishraq and Rajshahi resident Saad, ABT began establishing a new militant branch in Bengal. “Nur Islam Mondal and Majibur Rahman, who were arrested by Assam police, visited Murshidabad and Jalpaiguri frequently.

It was through them that Minarul and Abbas got inducted. Both were arrested from Hariharpara earlier this week.

Police claimed that an examination of the detainees’ mobile phones revealed regular communication with handlers in Bangladesh and Pakistan over the past two months.

The detainees were also carrying inflammatory and provocative books printed in Bangladesh. Police alleged that the arrested individuals were actively involved in procuring weapons for sabotage.

According to sources, Abbas, a resident of Hariharpara, served a prison sentence on charges of human trafficking a few years ago. After being released, he started a private madrassa at Baruipara market about six months ago.

Minarul’s son was a student there, which led to a close relationship between the two.

(Courtesy: The Times of India)