NIA arrests 4 suspected terrorists in Assam
The search operations started on Friday and were conducted by a special team of NIA, assisted by teams of the Assam Police
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested four suspected terrorists from Assam’s Goalpara and Bongaigaon districts in different operations conducted on Friday and Saturday, officials said.
Three of them were arrested from Goalpara while one was nabbed from Bongaigaon. All of them were arrested by NIA last year and were released on bail recently, said people familiar with the matter.
The search operations started on Friday and were conducted by a special team of NIA, assisted by teams of the Assam Police.
Superintendent of police (SP) of Goalpara district, Rakhesh Reddy told HT that NIA was conducting the operation under a case registered in their Guwahati office. “We provided the support as per the orders, we don’t have specific information about the case,” he said.
The persons arrested from Goalpara have been identified as Abdus Suwahan, a resident of Govindapur, Jalauddin, a resident of Matia, and Abdus Suwahan, a resident of Tinkonia, according to the police.
The person arrested in Bongaigaon has been identified as Hafizur Rahman, a resident of Kabaitari area under Jogighopa police station.
Based on specific information, NIA had detained these four men from different areas in August last year.
Hafizur Rahman, a teacher of Markazul Ma Arif Qariana Madrasa in Goalpara, was detained on August 26 last year for his alleged involvement in terrorist activities. The madrassa was later demolished by the state government.
In September, NIA registered two cases against them for their alleged connection with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and they were arrested.
The cases were registered in Guwahati under 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (attempting to wage war against Nation), 121A (Conspiring to commit certain offences against the State) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and 18 and 18B (recruiting anyone or being recruited for a terrorist act), 19 and 20 (being member of terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
