Guwahati: The Assam Police on Wednesday claimed to have averted a possible major terrorist act by jihadi elements in the state.
Acting on a tip-off, the Special Task Force (STF) arrested two terror suspects and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in Kokrajhar district on Tuesday evening.
The STF team arrested the two jihadi elements at Namapara in Korajhar as part of a crackdown under Operation Praghat against fundamentalists.
From prima facie investigations, it was found that the jihadi group was planning subversive activities during the run up to the Republic Day in Assam.
The two jihadi elements, arrested on Tuesday evening, have been identified as Abdul Zaher Sheikh and Sabbir Mirdha.
Both were arrested based on interrogation of the eight alleged members of Bangladesh-based terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team arrested last week from Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala.
The eight included a Bangladeshi national. The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), also known as Ansar-al Islam Bangladesh or Ansar Bangla is a militant organization in Bangladesh, implicated in many terrorist activities including attacks and murders of atheist bloggers from 2013 to 2015.
Based on the interrogation of Abdul Zaher Sheikh and Sabbir Mirdha, search operations led to the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition.
The recovery included four handmade rifles, 34 rounds of live ammunition, 24 rounds of blank cartridges, one pair of improvised explosive devices, and one handmade grenade.
Police also recovered several circuit detonators made from agricultural equipment, electronic switches, iron cases, iron pieces, and plates, switches and wires with explosives used in firecrackers.
Assam Police officials said the alleged terror module, which was busted in Kokrajhar, was planning major subversive activities in the state.
Earlier, it was reported that the jihadi elements were planning to carryout subversive activities along the Siliguri corridor.
The jihadi group has been running sleeper cells across our North Bengal and Assam, the police officials said.
Apparently, the jihadi elements have become active after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh in August.
