Arrest of Top ABT Activist in Murshidabad, West Bengal
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Kolkata, Dec 30 (NationPress) In a collaborative effort by the special task force of the West Bengal Police and the Assam Police, a highly sought-after member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which is a Bangladesh-based extremist group, was apprehended in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
A senior law enforcement official disclosed that the individual taken into custody is identified as Sajidul Islam, who was arrested during a surprise raid conducted early on Monday morning by a combined team of the West Bengal and Assam Police.
Islam was captured at a residence located in Naoda within Murshidabad district.
Authorities mentioned that Islam is the cousin of another notorious ABT figure, Shad Radi, also referred to as Shab Sheikh, who was recently detained in Kerala.
Radi held two EPIC (Elector's Photo Identity) cards issued under his name from different assembly constituencies in Murshidabad district — one from Kandi and another from Hariharpara.
The Assam Police have initiated the process to bring Islam to their state on a transit remand. Sources from the Bengal Police indicated that Islam provided shelter to Radi and assisted him in obtaining the EPIC card.
Intelligence agencies, both central and state, have reported activities of ABT members attempting to operate within the two West Bengal districts, Murshidabad and Nadia, which share a porous international border with Bangladesh.
There are also reports suggesting that they are working to influence local youth in bordering villages, seeking to recruit them as sleeper cell members.
In light of recent intelligence, security and surveillance operations have been intensified in the villages near the Bangladesh border, both on land and coastal areas, following reports of several outsiders unexpectedly moving into these border villages.
The police have issued warnings to homeowners in these areas to avoid renting to outsiders without verifying their credentials and to report any individuals they rent rooms to at local police stations.
