With the recent arrest of Kendrapada-born Habibur Rahaman by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over his suspected leT links, the number of suspects nabbed from Odisha rose to seven in the past four years.
In what might set alarm bells ringing, places like Jagatpur, Salepur and Kishannagar in Cuttack district and some areas of Kendrapada district have become safe hideouts for terrorists.
The arrest of suspected al-Qaida operative Abdur Rahaman from Jagatpur in Cuttack district in December 2015 was the first report that had pressed panic button for Odisha’s link in terrorism.
later, five SIMI operatives including a woman staying at a rented house were arrested by from Rourkela on February 16, 2016 after an encounter with police.
The suspects, allegedly involved in around 17 bomb blasts in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, had escaped from the Khandwa Jail in Madhya Pradesh.
Almost a year later on November 29, 2017, Akhtar Hussain Khan, a resident of Samantrapur village of Kishan Nagar in Cuttack district, was interrogated by the NIA for his suspected link with a terror outfit.