Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Sunday, 27 July 2026 that the Special Task Force (STF), Assam, in coordination with district police of Dhubri, Chirang, and Barpeta, has arrested three operatives allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN). The operation resulted in the seizure of multiple incriminating materials and further investigation is underway.

Context

The three individuals arrested have been identified as Akramul Islam (26) of Beparipara, Dhubri; Aminur Rahman (22) of Dhupiri, Panbari, Chirang; and Abdul Hussain (54) of Dabandia, Kalgachia, Barpeta. All three hail from western Assam districts that border Bangladesh and have historically been cited in security operations due to their geographic and demographic profile.

Seized materials include mobile phones, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, debit cards, bank passbooks, and other incriminating documents. Authorities have described the arrested persons as 'operatives' of the network, suggesting an organisational structure under investigation.

Policy Backdrop

Assam's STF is a dedicated state-level police unit mandated to counter anti-national and terrorist elements, frequently operating in tandem with district forces in sensitive border areas. The unit has conducted periodic operations against suspected Pakistan-linked modules in the state's western districts since the mid-2010s, forming part of a broader state-central coordination framework against cross-border threats.

Dhubri, one of the districts implicated in this operation, sits along the Bangladesh border and has appeared repeatedly in security assessments concerning infiltration and radical network activity. The involvement of Chirang and Barpeta — both in the Bodoland Territorial Region and the Brahmaputra valley respectively — points to a network spread across multiple administrative zones of western Assam.

Stakeholders and Impact

Residents of the three border districts stand most directly affected, as sustained security operations alter local policing postures and civilian movement. State police forces across the North East are increasingly being called upon to handle threats that previously fell within the domain of central agencies, reflecting a deliberate shift toward proactive frontier policing.

The operation also has implications for the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), which CM Sarma convenes, as security credibility in the region is closely tied to political messaging around governance and anti-infiltration measures. The seizure of financial instruments such as debit cards and bank passbooks suggests investigators are probing possible funding channels linked to the network.

What's Next

Authorities have confirmed that 'further investigation is in progress,' with the seized digital and financial materials likely to be forensically analysed for leads on additional suspects or handlers. Any expansion of the case — whether to new locations or to handlers operating outside Assam — will be closely watched by both central intelligence agencies and state administrations across the Northeast.

The outcome of this probe could inform broader policy decisions around border surveillance, SIM-card verification protocols, and inter-state coordination against foreign-linked radical modules operating in India's sensitive frontier districts.