NIA arrests 13 in JMB offshoot radicalisation case, searches in three states

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested 13 people on Tuesday in a terror conspiracy run by an offshoot of the banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Officials said the conspiracy was aimed at radicalising young people and spreading extremism in West Bengal and the northeastern states.

The arrests followed searches at 16 locations in Assam, West Bengal and Kerala. Mobile phones, pen drives and memory cards were seized. Eight of the accused were held in Assam, four in West Bengal and one in Kerala.

Six were arrested in Assam's Barpeta district. Those named are Faruk Abdullah, Zakir Hussain and Chandbar Ali of Sorbhog, and Mustafizur Rahman of Barpeta Road. Yakub Ali of Nishuka and Rakibul Islam of Jashihatipara village in Howly are also among the six.

The case dates back to the arrest of 11 people by Assam Police on December 28, 2025, across Assam, West Bengal and Tripura. A case was registered on December 30, 2025, against 35 accused over an online radicalisation module run through the "Purva Akash" Telegram group.

The agency said the module was run by Bangladesh-based handlers of Imam Mahmuder Kafila, which it described as a manifestation of the JMB. The 11 accused were chargesheeted on June 25, 2026, and remain in judicial custody.

The NIA later took over the case and filed a chargesheet before its special court in Guwahati under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The agency said the conspiracy involved promoting the outfit's extremist agenda, radicalising vulnerable youth and expanding its network in India. Ten accused, including one Indian and nine Bangladeshi nationals, remain absconding.

(With inputs from PTI)