Cops track Dubai links of arrested ABT member from Bengal

Kolkata, Jan 1 The West Bengal Police have tracked Dubai links of Sajidul Islam, a most-wanted member of Bangladesh-based terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) who was arrested last month.

The ABT member was arrested on December 30 last year from Naoda in Murshidabad district following a joint operation by the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police and Assam Police.

The West Bengal Police have shared this information with Assam Police who took him on transit remand.

Sources said that Islam was residing as a carpenter in Naoda. However, as confirmed by his neighbours, he frequently remained absent from his place of residence and used to tell his neighbours that the reason for his absence was some profession-related assignments.

However, the sources added, that information has been gathered that he used to frequent different states having international borders with neighbouring Bangladesh, and in October last year, he made trips to Dubai not once but twice.

The West Bengal Police and Assam Police were investigating whether his Dubai trip was related to any ABT-related assignment.

Islam is also the cousin brother of another most-wanted ABT activist Shad Radi, also known as Shab Sheikh, who was arrested recently from Kerala.

Radi had two Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) issued in his name from two Assembly constituencies in Murshidabad district -- one from Kandi and another from Hariharpara.

There had been inputs from intelligence agencies, central and state, about ABT activists trying to be active in the two districts in West Bengal that have porous international borders with Bangladesh namely Murshidabad and Nadia.

There are also inputs that ABT members were trying to brainwash youths in the bordering villages and induct them as sleeper cell members.

Recently, the intelligence and security agencies have augmented the security and surveillance measures at the villages adjacent to the international border with Bangladesh, both land and coastal, in the wake of inputs that of late, several outsiders have suddenly started residing in these border villages after taking rooms on rent there.

The police have alerted the house owners in such villages to refrain from renting to outsiders without checking their credentials and also inform the local police stations about the individuals that they are keeping on rent.

Source: IANS