In a significant counter-terrorism operation, the Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) has dismantled a clandestine network allegedly involved in radicalising and recruiting individuals for a banned Bangladesh-based militant organisation. The operation, conducted across multiple districts, led to the arrest of eleven individuals.
Nationwide Raids and Arrests
The arrests were carried out during coordinated raids on the intervening night of December 29 and 30, 2025. Ten individuals were apprehended from four districts in Assam: Barpeta, Baksa, Chirang, and Darrang. An eleventh suspect, Jagir Miah, was arrested from West Tripura.
The arrested persons from Assam have been identified as Nasim Uddin, Junab Ali, Afrahim Hussain, Mizanur Rehman, Sultan Mehmud, Md Siddique Ali, Rasidul Alam, Mahibul Khan, Sharuk Hussain, and Md Dilbar Razak.
Links to Banned Outfit IMK
According to senior police officials, the arrested individuals are alleged to have links with a module of the Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK). This outfit, founded in 2018, is described as an offshoot of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a group proscribed in India.
STF chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta stated that the IMK has become more active following the political changes in Bangladesh after the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August 2024. An Assam cell of the outfit was reportedly operating with a head based in Barpeta district.
Modus Operandi and Cross-Border Threat
The police investigation revealed a sophisticated recruitment and radicalisation process. The module allegedly used encrypted social media platforms for coordination. Two Bangladeshi nationals, identified as Umar and Khalid, were assigned to oversee the Assam-based activities.
"Persons based in Assam, West Bengal and Tripura were being radicalised, recruited, financially mobilised and connected with the said outfit," Mahanta said. This included individuals with Indian passports who had previously visited Bangladesh, as well as former members of other proscribed terrorist organisations.
A police document details that recruits were first identified through online Jihadist channels and fed IMK propaganda. The outfit also exploited social and religious gatherings. Several clandestine meetings were held at local mosques since December 2024.
At a meeting in Barpeta on December 28, 2024, IMK ideologues reportedly advocated violent armed struggle in India. These meetings typically gathered 6–8 local youths for indoctrination. Alarmingly, some recruits had already visited Bangladesh on valid documents to meet IMK leadership, and others were being encouraged to travel for arms training, sometimes with their families.
The police also noted that in April 2025, at least two operatives from Assam crossed into Meghalaya to rendezvous with Bangladeshi handlers.
Mahanta emphasised that this "continuing cross-border coordination" by the module "poses a grave threat to India’s unity and integrity." The bust underscores the persistent challenge of transnational terror networks and their efforts to establish footholds within India.
