A Special Task Force (STF) caught a key operative of two Bangladesh-based terror groups from Chennai on Wednesday (February 12, 2025), the Assam police said on Thursday.
Abu Salam Ali was the 14th member of either or both the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen arrested by the STF from various parts of the country during the past two months. In December 2024, the STF also arrested five operatives of the Pakistan-lined terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Parthasarathi Mahanta, the Inspector General of Police heading the STF, said the elusive Ali was tracked to a locality under the Semmencherry police station in Chennai with the help of the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu police.
His capture was part of Operation Praghat, an offensive that targets fundamentalist networks and global terrorist organisations nationwide.
“Ali, a resident of Khudigaon Part-II village in western Assam’s Dhubri district, has been on the run since the night of December 17, 2024, when eight members of the ABT were arrested through a coordinated operation across Assam, Kerala, and West Bengal,” Mr. Mahanta said.
Investigations revealed that Ali played a major role in strengthening the extremist groups and was working in close coordination with Nur Islam Mandal and Shahinur Islam. They were also plotting attacks on some political leaders in India, the police said.
The two, both ABT members, were caught from Assam two months ago. The ABT is affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.
Published – February 13, 2025 03:12 pm IST
