NIA probe exposes JMB-linked IMK plot to plant terror modules in South India
Synopsis
India's counter-terror agency has exposed a deliberate, phased JMB strategy to plant radical modules in South India — leveraging illegal immigration as cover and tapping undocumented Bangladeshis as a recruitment pool. The probe links a previously obscure proxy group, IMK, to ISI-backed JMB and reveals that tightened surveillance in West Bengal and the northeast has simply pushed the threat further south.
Key Takeaways
The NIA has uncovered a JMB -directed plan to plant terror modules in South India , with Kerala identified as the primary entry point.
The operational arm is Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) , founded in 2018 and led by Jewel Mahmud alias Imam Mahmud Habibullah .
Key operatives include Nasimuddin alias Tamim of Barpeta Road (Assam) and Jagir Mia of Tripura ; Bangladesh-based Khalid and Umar coordinated from across the border.
The module operated under the alias Purba Akash and promoted Ghazwa-e-Hind propaganda among recruits.
Funding was decentralised — small collections from rural villages — with a similar model being replicated for South India operations.
Officials say increased scrutiny in West Bengal and the northeast pushed illegal immigrants — and terror recruitment — toward southern states offering less surveillance and better economic cover.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has uncovered a calculated plan by the Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) — a proscribed terror outfit — to expand its terror modules into South India, with investigators zeroing in on a proxy group called Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) as the operational arm driving the expansion. The probe, rooted in a cross-border terror conspiracy case originating in Assam, has revealed active links to West Bengal and Kerala, with officials warning that the southern states are now a deliberate target.
What is the IMK and who runs it
According to intelligence officials, the IMK was launched in 2018 but maintained a low profile for several years. The outfit is reportedly headed by Jewel Mahmud, also known as Imam Mahmud Habibullah, who officials say has been instrumental in establishing regional wings of the IMK in Assam and West Bengal.
Intelligence dossiers link the IMK directly to the JMB, which investigators describe as a proxy of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The JMB has a documented history of running terror modules across West Bengal and Assam, and, according to officials, of facilitating illegal immigration into India to allegedly engineer demographic shifts and inflame communal tensions.
The operational structure and key figures
The NIA's investigation has mapped a multi-layered structure with its trail originating in Bangladesh. Two Bangladesh-based coordinators, identified as Khalid and Umar, reportedly managed the operations remotely while maintaining contact with Nasimuddin, also known as Tamim, a resident of Barpeta Road in Assam. Nasimuddin allegedly oversaw recruitment for the terror module and managed a network of radicalisation handlers beneath him.
In Tripura, a man identified as Jagir Mia served as the local point person, tasked by Bangladesh-based handlers with radicalisation and recruitment, officials say. The module operated under the name Purba Akash inside India, using it to disseminate violent jihadist propaganda and promote the ideology of Ghazwa-e-Hind — a call for the destruction of India — among recruits.
Officials note that the JMB deliberately relied on local operatives to insulate the Bangladesh connection and kept Bangladeshi nationals out of direct operational roles wherever possible.
Why South India has become the next target
Security officials say the southward shift is driven by a twin logic: evasion and opportunity. With heightened scrutiny on undocumented migrants in West Bengal and the northeastern states, a significant number of illegal immigrants have reportedly been relocated to southern states. Officials describe the south as attractive not only because it offers less surveillance pressure but also because it provides better economic integration prospects — particularly in the construction and plantation sectors — making recruitment into radicalisation networks easier to conceal.
'This is to do with the fact that a large number of illegal immigrants have been moved into the southern states as there is heavy scrutiny on them in West Bengal and the northeastern states. In addition to avoiding scrutiny, the southern states are chosen thanks to better work opportunities in the construction and plantation sector,' an official said.
The NIA operation has already established that the IMK was actively attempting to infiltrate Kerala, which intelligence officials describe as the first foothold in the planned southern expansion.
Funding model and phased expansion plan
The funding architecture was deliberately decentralised. The Tripura and Assam modules avoided large-scale financial transactions, relying instead on smaller collections spread across rural villages to minimise detection. Officials say a similar decentralised funding approach was being replicated for the planned South India operations.
The phased plan, according to investigators, involved first consolidating modules in Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala, and then using existing networks of undocumented Bangladeshis in southern states as the recruitment base for the next expansion. Officials have indicated that the NIA is continuing to investigate the full extent of the network.
Point of View
Which means crackdowns in West Bengal and Assam have displaced the threat rather than eliminated it. The use of economic migrants as a recruitment layer is particularly concerning because it conflates a humanitarian and border-management challenge with a security one, making detection far harder. Kerala's emergence as a target is consistent with a pattern of radicalisation cases the state has seen over the past decade, and this NIA probe suggests that pattern now has a coordinated cross-border architecture behind it. The decentralised funding model — small-denomination collections across rural villages — is designed precisely to evade financial intelligence, and calls into question whether existing counter-financing frameworks are calibrated for this kind of micro-cell structure.
NationPress
30 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has the NIA's probe into the JMB terror case revealed?
The NIA investigation has uncovered a phased plan by the Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to expand terror modules into South India, using a proxy group called Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) as the operational vehicle. The probe, originating from a radicalisation case in Assam, has traced links to West Bengal, Kerala, and handlers based in Bangladesh.
What is the IMK and how is it connected to the JMB?
The Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) is a group founded in 2018 and led by Jewel Mahmud alias Imam Mahmud Habibullah. According to intelligence officials, the IMK is a proxy of the proscribed Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is itself described by officials as an ISI-backed outfit; the IMK was specifically tasked by JMB to set up and expand terror modules across Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala.
Why are terror networks shifting focus to South India?
Officials say intensified surveillance in West Bengal and northeastern states has pushed a large number of undocumented migrants toward southern states, where scrutiny is lower. The south is also seen as a more viable recruitment ground because better work opportunities in construction and plantation sectors make it easier for operatives to blend into communities without drawing attention.
Who are the key operatives identified in this case?
Bangladesh-based coordinators Khalid and Umar oversaw operations remotely, while Nasimuddin alias Tamim, from Barpeta Road in Assam, managed local recruitment and radicalisation networks. In Tripura, Jagir Mia served as the regional handler. The module conducted activities under the alias Purba Akash and promoted Ghazwa-e-Hind ideology among recruits.
How was the terror network funded?
The network used a deliberately decentralised funding model, collecting small amounts from rural villages to avoid financial intelligence detection. Officials say the Tripura and Assam modules operated on this low-denomination basis, and a similar approach was being set up for the planned South India operations.
