Kolkata, Sep 26 (IANS) Six top Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) activists, including three of Indian origin, have been arrested from Assam and West Bengal, police said here on Monday.
"Special Task Force of Kolkata police has arrested six Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh terrorists," Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Visal Garg told a media meet.
"These six are part of the top leadership of JMB," he said, adding five of them are named in the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency in the Khagragarh blast case in Burdwan district in 2014.
Police have seized a laptop, mobile phones, SD cards,wires, detonators, a powder like substance and fake identity documents from them. "The powder like substance can be explosive. We will get it examined by experts," said Garg.
"We had information that these people were hiding in the northeastern states and also in some parts of south India. They were under physical and technical surveillance of the STF. We were also able to crack down their encrypted communication system," he said.
The arrested activists included Anwar Hossain Farook of Jamalpur, Bangladesh, who was the head of the JMB unit in Bengal. Another nabbed militant was Moulana Yusuf alias Abu Khetab from Mangalkot of Burdwan district, the second in command in JMB.
The other four are Shahidul Islam, the head of JMB's North Eastern unit, Mohammad Rubel - an expert in improvised explosive devices - hailing from Jamalpur, Bangladesh, Abul Kalam from Burpeta, Assam and Jahidul S. alias Jabirul from Bangladesh.
Garg said the STF was keeping an eye on JMB activities and tracking those who had absconded to the northeastern or southern India hideouts.
Acting on a tip off, Jahidul was picked up from Kachar in Assam on Saturday.
Following his interrogation, Yusuf and Sahidul were arrested from Bashirhat, and Anwar Farook and Rubel from Bagda road in Bangaon, both in North 24 Parganas district on Sunday.
Another STF team rounded up Kalam from Coochbehar railway station.
