NIA Arrests Three More in West Bengal Terror Probe, Total of Four Detained

Kolkata, September 29 (Daily Kiran) : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested three more individuals in connection with a suspected terrorism case in West Bengal, raising the total number of arrests to four. Earlier in the day, the agency apprehended Piyar Mohammad Sheikh, an imam linked to a mosque in Palishgram village, under the jurisdiction of the Mangalkot police station in East Bardhaman district.

Following Sheikh's arrest, the NIA confirmed the detention of three additional suspects: Jumman Sheikh, Shaharul Purkait, and Abdul Rafique. Jumman Sheikh was arrested in Mithapukur, Shaharul Purkait in Balrampur, and Abdul Rafique in Narendrapur, located in the South 24 Parganas district. Jumman Sheikh works as a tailor, while Abdul Rafique hails from Barpeta, Assam, and is reportedly an active member of the Bangladeshi terrorist organization known as "Purba Akash" (Eastern Sky).

These arrests were part of a series of coordinated raids conducted by different NIA teams across West Bengal on Tuesday morning. The operation aimed to uncover sleeper cells associated with the Bangladeshi extremist and terrorist group "Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh" (JMB). The raids were connected to a case registered in the neighboring state of Assam. NIA officials acted on specific intelligence, leading to simultaneous searches at five locations in West Bengal.

Last week, the NIA had arrested a young man in Assam on suspicion of terrorism. Investigators learned that he was an active member of JMB. During questioning, he revealed that a module of the Bangladeshi terrorist organization was operational in West Bengal. Further inquiries indicated that JMB was attempting to establish sleeper cells in West Bengal, where many youths from a specific community were being brainwashed to join the banned organization. Documents seized from the arrested individual in Assam provided additional insights into the active JMB module, prompting the NIA's extensive search operations in West Bengal.