Kolkata police arrested 6 suspected terrorists belonging to Bangladesh based Jamaat-ul Mujahideen.
Six suspected terrorists -- believed to be members of the Bangladesh based terror group Jamaat-ul Mujahideen (JuM) -- have been arrested from West Bengal and Assam, the police said today.
The men, they say, are wanted by the National Investigation Agency for their involvement in various terror activities in the region, including the Burdwan blasts of 2014.
The six were arrested after the police increased security measures ahead of the festive season in Bengal, and following a general alert issued after terrorists killed 18 soldiers in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month.
"We had been chasing them for some time now. We managed to arrest them finally after cracking their communication network," senior officer Vishal Garg told NDTV.
Today, the police sought further custody of the men for questioning. Investigations are on whether they have any link with ISIS.
Among the arrested men is Imam, alias Jamirul Hassan, who is believed to be one of the top functionaries of the JuM and is wanted by the NIA in connection with the Burdwan blasts.
Two others- Maulana Yusuf alias Yusuf Shaikh and Shahid-ul Islam - are suspected to be important members of the JuM and are also wanted by the NIA for their involvement in the Burdwan blasts. The agency had announced a Rs 10 lakh award for information leading to Yusuf Shaikh's arrest.
The police also claim to have arrested Mohammed Rubel and Jabirul Islam, who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh each. Mohammed Rubel is accused of helping JuM terrorists infiltrate India from across the border.
The sixth man is suspected to be Abul Kalam, an expert bomb maker for the JuM, who was picked up by the police from Barpeta in Assam.
From them, the police have recovered detonators and a white powder - suspected to be an explosive - which has been sent for further testing.
The JuM Bangladesh - which is funded by Pakistan-based terror groups -- has been listed as a terror organisation by the United Kingdom and is believed to be behind terror attacks in both Bangladesh and India.