‘Madrassa Teachers as Terror Operatives’: How an Imam Led Cops to ABT, Al Qaeda Modules in Assam
May 22, 2022. by Press Trust of India.
NIA conducts searches in Assam in the Ansarullah Bangla Team case
The case was initially registered on March 4 in the Barpeta district and was re-registered by the NIA on March 22.
Guwahati: The NIA on Saturday conducted searches at two locations in the Barpeta district of Assam in connection with a case of recruiting impressionable youngsters to join jihadi outfits and work in sleeper cells for creating a base for the al-Qaeda in India.
The case pertains to the disruption of an active module of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) having affiliation to proscribed terrorist organisation al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent (AQIS), operating in Barpeta district of Assam led by a Bangladeshi, a spokesperson said.
The case was initially registered on March 4 in the Barpeta district and was re-registered by the NIA on March 22. Source East Mojo
July 27, 2022. by Pallav Kumar Bora
Alleged Ansar al-Islam sleeper cell module busted in Assam
The Assam Police have so far arrested at least 16 people from different parts of Assam for their links with the ABT. 
The Assam Police on Wednesday busted the alleged sleeper cell module of the Ansar al-Islam and arrested a 22-year-old youth Abbas Ali from Goalpara district’s Pakhiura village. Abbas Ali was allegedly providing shelter to a member of the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS) affiliate organisation, previously known as Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)
During an investigation of the Jogighopa (under the Bongaigaon district) police station case, 56/22 Police nabbed 22-year-old youth, Abbas Ali for providing shelter to an absconding Bangladeshi national Mehbabur Rahman, who is a key member of the ABT. Ali used to provide SIM, logistic support, and shelter to Rahman whenever he visited Goalpara.”
Source: East Mojo
Al-Qaeda-linked terror module busted in Assam: Police arrest 11 persons linked to Islamic fundamentalism
The police have seized numerous electronic devices and incriminating documents from detained persons.
Mustafa alias Mufti Mustafa, Abbas Ali and Afsaruddin Bhuyan were detained from Morigaon and Goalpara respectively on Thursday in Assam (Photo: ANI)
One of the persons detained was also a Madrassa teacher in Assam
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma came down heavily on "Jihadi modules" in the state
Sarma said that a lot of information is expected from these arrests
According to the police, the 11 persons, who were detained yesterday from Assam's Morigaon, Barpeta, Guwahati and Goalpara districts, are "connected to Islamic fundamentalism" having links with AQIS and ABT.
According to the Assam Police, Mustafa alias Mufti Mustafa, who is an accused in the case, is a resident of Saharia Gaon in the Morigaon district, and an active member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) which is linked to Al Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS). He is an important financial conduit of the ABT module in India. The police informed that Mustafa runs a madrassa (Jamiul Huda Madrassa) in the Saharia Gaon village, which has been sealed by the police after it was suspected to be a harbour or safe house of the detained persons. "The activities of the madrassa were being funded through the proceeds of unlawful activities. It is suspected of being a harbour or safe house of the detained persons," according to the police.
Besides Mustafa, the police arrested Afsaruddin Bhuyan, 39, from Morigaon. The police arrested Abbas Ali, 22, hailing from Goalpara. "He provided logistics and shelter to one of the absconding members namely Mehbubur Rehman," according to the police. Mehbubur Rehman alias Mehbub, a wanted in the Jogighopa PS case, is also a member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team. He was arrested by the Bongaigaon police team on July 26.
The other people arrested are Jubair Khan (25), Rafiqul Islam (27), Dewan Hamidul Islam (20), Moinul Haque (42), Kajibur Hussain (37), Muzibaur Rahman (50), Shahanur Aslam and Sahjahan Ali (34).Eight persons have been arrested by Barpeta Police for links with AQIS and ABT.
A case (no 763/22) has been registered at Barpeta police station under Section 120(b)/121/121(A) IPC read with Section 17/18/18(B)/19/20 UA(P) Act, 1967.
The police have seized numerous electronic devices and incriminating documents from detained persons. Further investigation and operations are being carried out to unearth the linkages and network. "It's an outcome of a long surveillance operation of Assam police and central agencies," added Special DGP GP Singh. 
(With ANI Inputs) indiatvnews
Acting on the leads provided by Ali, the Goalpara police on August 19 picked up Abdus Subahan and Jalaluddin Sheikh, who acted as conduits for the ABT in Assam. After a day of interrogation, the police arrested them. Subahan had been serving as an imam in Tinkoniyapara mosque for two years and also taught at Tinkoniyapara madrassa, while Sheikh was an imam at Maitya Tilapara mosque.
In Subahan’s house, police found posters, books, incriminating documents, secret phones and SIM cards, while Arabic literature was recovered from Sheikh’s residence. Both were providing logistical support to ABT and AQ, including sheltering the recruits. They were organising sessions for ABT operatives from Bangladesh and were handling funding for these events. Sheikh organised talent hunts for recruitment drives and the formation of sleeper cells. Subahan later confessed that he had joined al-Qaeda in 2018 and Sheikh was his brother,” said Rakesh Reddy, superintendent of police, Goalpara.
A four-member team of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) has reached Matiya to investigate the case further.
Meanwhile, the search for Abu Tallah, an ABT operative from Bangladesh, is on. His wife, Johura Khatun, has been arrested by Dhubri police.
Tallah stayed in Goalpara as an imam of Abu Bakar Siddique Masjid in Morigaon and also used to teach in Jamiul Huda Madrassa run by Mufti Mustafa. The madrassa has been brought down by the government, while Mufti Mustafa, who was running a sleeper cell for the ABT, is in custody, along with his wife Asmina Khatun and brother Jakaria Ahmed, said police.
The arrest of Khatun shows that women, too, are being used in the ABT operation. The ABT is also using the Dark Web and Dark sites to get more recruits. Acting on Tallah’s instruction, Khatun, who had studied till Class 8, operated the Dark Web and destroyed a mobile handset once the police crackdown began.
“…It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that Assam is becoming a hotbed for Islamic fundamentalists. When you bust five modules and the whereabouts of the other five Bangladeshi nationals are still not known, you can imagine the gravity,” Sarma told a press conference.
Source: news18
Guwahati. July 29, 2022. Paras Bisht. India TV
Guwahati. July 29, 2022. Paras Bisht. India TV
