STF arrests Bangla ABT terror suspect

Kolkata: Another Bangladeshi national was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata police for his suspected links with Al-Qaeda affiliate — Ansurallah Bangla Team (ABT) — from the city late on Thursday night. The STF is now hunting for two more suspects who have gone into hiding. The accused, Mohammed Shahadat Hussein (26) alias Babu, is a resident of Dhanya Khola at Benapore Port in Jessore.

He was caught from in front of Jagat Cinema near Sealdah. With his arrest, the total number of accused held in the module busted by the STF rose to three. On Friday, Shahadat was produced at the City Sessions Court which has remanded him in the police custody till December 5.

The STF came to know of his role after interrogating Shamshad Miyan, Riyazul Islam and Monotosh Dey who were recently arrested from the Kolkata railway station. Shamshad and Riyazul, who are allegedly members of the ABT, claimed to the STF that it was Shahadat who helped them to enter India illegally through the Indo-Bangla border, sources said.

Sources added that Shahadat was also entrusted for taking the duo to Hyderabad.

Interrogating Shahadat, the investigators learnt that his relative, who stays at Bongaon in North 24 Parganas close to the international border, facilitates with him in the infiltration of the Bangladeshi nationals. They also stumbled upon two more names, Tamim and Nayan Gazi, whom he helped to sneak into India.

Sources revealed that Tamim and Nayan who are suspected to have links with the ABT had stayed at a guest house in Howrah for three days in the first week of October. Raiding the address, the STF officers however learnt that Tamim has already procured a fake Aadhar Card in the name of Swapan Biswas using which he had checked into the guest house.

The STF is now searching for Tamim and Nayan.