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NIA rearrests 4 people in Assam for terror links
The NIA conducted the operation under a case registered in its Guwahati office, said superintendent of police Rakhesh Reddy
The National Investigation Agency has rearrested four persons booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their alleged connections with Bangladesh -based terrorist groups, officials said.
They were arrested from Assam’s Goalpara and Bongaigaon districts in different operations conducted by the federal agency with the help of Assam police on Friday and Saturday. Three of them were arrested from Goalpara, while the other was apprehended from Bongaigaon.
The search started on Friday and were conducted by a special team of the NIA, police said.
The arrested persons from Goalpara have been identified as Abdus Subhan, a resident of Mornoi in Govindapur, Jalaluddin Sheikh, a resident of Matia, and Abdus Subahan, a resident of Tinkonia.
The NIA conducted the operation under a case registered in its Guwahati office, said Rakhesh Reddy, superintendent of police, Goalpara. “We provided the support as per orders,” he said. “We don’t have specific information about the case.”
A district court in Assam granted Subhan, Sheikh and Subahan bail. The bail was rejected in a higher court and they were rearrested, officials said. The NIA did not release an official statement in the matter.
The person arrested in Bongaigaon has been identified as Hafizur Rahman, a resident of Kabaitari area under Jogighopa police station. Rahman, a teacher of Markazul Ma Arif Qariana madrasa in Goalpara, was detained on August 26 last year for alleged involvement in jihadi activities. The madrasa was demolished by the state government.
Rahman was granted bail by the NIA for a limited period but he didn’t report to the authorities after the period of bail ended. He was asked by the NIA court to appear but he missed that too. Hence, the agency arrested him and he might face additional charges for contempt of court, officials said.
The NIA had detained these four in August last year. In September, it registered two cases against them for their alleged in connection with Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).
The cases were registered in Guwahati under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (attempting to wage war against nation) and 121A (conspiring to commit offences against the state) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 18 and 18B (recruiting anyone or being recruited for a terrorist act) and sections 19 and 20 (being member of terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
