Silchar: The Cachar police arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and three of his associates from southern Assam and Meghalaya, officials confirmed on Wednesday night.
The case unfolded on February 21, when an employee of Jhandu Infratech Ltd., a highway construction company, reported receiving a threatening call from an individual claiming to be an LeT member.
The caller demanded a ransom of Rs. 10 crore, warning of dire consequences if the payment was not made within a stipulated timeframe.
Following the complaint, a case was registered at Katigorah Police Station under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was launched.
Acting swiftly, Cachar police apprehended two suspects, Md. Alekuddin (25) and Ajiruddin alias Amiruddin (27), from Kalain. Both individuals are residents of Katigorah.
Subsequent interrogation and technical analysis led to the arrest of the prime accused, Boktar Hussain (29), and another accomplice, Samsir Uddin Barbhuiya (28), from Rymbai village in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.
The operation was conducted in collaboration with Meghalaya police.
Hussain hails from Kachudaram, while Barbhuiya is from Katigorah. The mobile phone and SIM card used to make the ransom call were recovered during the operation.
READ MORE: Alan Walker to perform in Guwahati and 3 other cities on his 2025 India tour
Meanwhile, the Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has intensified its crackdown on the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a Bangladesh-based terror group linked to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
As part of Operation Praghat, the STF has arrested 16 ABT operatives, including Bangladeshi nationals, from Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala since December 2024.
Among those detained is Md. Sad Radi alias Md. Shab Sheikh (32), a resident of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
Radi was reportedly tasked with spreading ABT’s extremist ideology among like-minded individuals in India under the directive of Md. Farhan Israk, an associate of ABT chief Jasimuddin Rahmani.