Ahead of Independence Day, 3 JMB men nabbed in Assam

Based on specific information, Hafizur Rahman, Yakub Ali and Shariful Islam, were arrested by the police on Tuesday.

Published on: Jul 31, 2019, 13:32:59 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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Police in Barpeta district of Assam have nabbed three cadres of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a terror outfit based in the neighbouring country, weeks ahead of Independence Day.

Based on specific information, Hafizur Rahman, Yakub Ali and Shariful Islam, were arrested by the police on Tuesday.

“Till now we have arrested three JMB cadres. We had been keeping track of JMB activities in the area for some time and since Independence Day was near, we had increased surveillance which led to the arrests,” Barpeta superintendent of police Robin Kumar said while speaking to journalists.

Hafizur Rahman was the first to be arrested and a country-made revolver and four live rounds were found in his possession. The other two, Yakub Ali and Shariful Islam, were nabbed based on Rahman’s information.

According to the police, based on interrogation of the arrested cadres, who had set up a module of JMB in Assam, more arrests could take place in coming days.

The arrested JMB men had received arms training in 2014 at Nalbari and Barpeta districts of Assam from Shakil Ahmed, a hardcore JMB operative from Bangladesh, who had entered India specifically for that purpose. Ahmed was killed in a blast inside a rented house in West Bengal’s Burdwan in October 2014.

Police said Hafizur Rahman, who had studied at a madarsa in Barpeta, travelled to Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala several times and was instrumental in recruiting and training JMB cadres in Assam.

Rahman hails from Karagarhi village in Barpeta. Abdul Matin, a JMB operative arrested in February this year from Kerala, also belongs to the same village.

All the three JMB cadres were produced before a court on Tuesday evening and have been remanded to three days police custody.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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