Guwahati/Agartala, Dec 30 (AHN) The Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam Police on Tuesday arrested 11 associates of the Bangladesh-linked jihadi terror outfit -- Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) -- during coordinated operations carried out across multiple locations in Assam’s Barpeta, Chirang, Baksa and Darrang districts, as well as in neighbouring Tripura, officials said.

The ‘Imam Mahmuder Kafila’ (IMK) is a Bangladesh-based offshoot of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) which is banned in India.

A senior Assam police official said that based on the inputs, on the intervening night of December 29, teams of STF, Assam Police carried out raids at multiple locations in Barpeta, Chirang, Baksa, Darrang and in Tripura in search of the IMK operatives and arrested 10 associates from four districts of Assam and one from bordering village Jaipur in West Tripura district. He was found to be associated through a WhatsApp group named 'Purba Akash', used for communication, radical propagation, and coordination with other members across Tripura and Assam.

The official said that it has further been disclosed that radical literature authored by IMK leadership, including ‘Sarbobhoumo’ 'Khamatar Malik Allah’ and ‘Ghazwatul Hind er Sonkhipto Alochona’, is systematically circulated to indoctrinate cadres and sympathisers through online platforms. In Assam, such Extremist Content was circulated within the encrypted social media platform titled ‘Purba Akash’. The arrested associates were found to be linked through a WhatsApp group 'Purba Akash', used for communication, radical propagation, and coordination with other members across Tripura and Assam.

The IMK was founded in 2018 by Jewel Mahmud alias Imam Mahmud Habibullah alias Sohail, an Ex-JMB member who claims to be the Amir of IMK and propagates the ideology of “Ghazwatul Hind”. It has been reliably learnt that following the regime change in Bangladesh in August 2024, senior leaders of JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) issued directions to IMK leadership to activate and expand its Indian Modules, the official stated.

In furtherance thereof, Bangladeshi Nationals Umar and Khalid were assigned to coordinate Assam-based activities. The head of the Assam cell is one Nasim Uddin alias Tamim of Barpeta Road, Assam. The said activities are coordinated through a secure social media platform. One such group is titled ‘Purba Akash’, which functions as a principal communication and recruitment platform.

According to the official, persons based in Assam, West Bengal and Tripura were being radicalised, recruited, financially mobilised and connected with the outfit, including individuals possessing Indian Passports and having prior visits to Bangladesh, as well as known former members of proscribed terrorist organisations.

It was found that following the change of government in Bangladesh in August last year, cadres of JMB, ABT and AQIS were released or emboldened, resulting in the revival of their ideological influence and Indian Networks, including through IMK-linked platforms. IMK disseminates extremist propaganda advocating violent Jihad and the armed conquest of India through digital platforms, including dedicated websites and social media platforms under the Ghazwatul Hind banner, the official said.

A report in Times of Bangladesh stated, "According to data from the courts and the Prison Directorate, 346 inmates were released on bail in a short period following August 5, 2024. It said that this group includes 12 top-listed criminals, eight convicts in the high-profile ten-truck arms haul case, and members of at least 10 different organisations. In the first eight months following the political transition, 148 members of the banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were released on bail in cases filed over alleged militant involvement, the report said.

The Assam police STF earlier in separate operations arrested many JMB associates from West Bengal, Kerala and Assam.