Top JMB terrorist arrested

Kolkata: A top operative of terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in India was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata Police from Bihar. Ejaz Ahmad alias Taufique Raza, the accused who is also a chemical engineer, was caught from Gaya on Sunday, said joint commissioner of police (STF) Subhankar Sinha Sarkar on Monday.

A satellite phone, Jehadi documents, a laptop and some circuit boards were seized from him. Ejaz was booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 130 (aiding escape of, rescuing or harbouring a prisoner) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act. On Monday, Ejaz, in his early thirties, was produced at a court in Gaya which granted his transit remand to the STF.

Ejaz is being brought to the city. He will be produced at a court on Monday. The STF will seek his remand with a prayer for permission to slap charges of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Its operation jointly with the Bihar Police took place following a specific tip-off from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) about Ejaz’s location. The STF sent a team to Gaya four days ago to zero in on Ejaz.

The JMB operative was living as a local resident at Pathantoli village in Buniyadpur following his return from Bangladesh recently. Wanted in many cases he is an Amir (head) of JMB being the top most Indian functionary and main recruiter of the organisation in the country, according to the STF. He was looking after the camps run by the JMB in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura along the Indo-Bangla border.

Ejaz has replaced Kausar in the post following the latter’s arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Burdwan blast case recently. Becoming a member of the JMB in 2008, he started operating from Panrui in Abinashpur of Birbhum, his birthplace, before visiting Bengaluru and Kerala. Ejaz however went into hiding after a crackdown on the JMB network in wake of the Burdwan blast in October 2014.

Mr Sarkar added that Ejaz had been constantly in touch with top JMB commander Salauddin Salahein and Kauser for a long time. Ejaz is also suspected to be involved in the blast at Bodh Gaya during spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s visit there in 2018. The STF found Ejaz’s role after interrogating Kausar. But it was not sure of his whereabouts till the IB tracked him simultaneously.

Sources claimed that when the STF team caught Ejaz tried to mislead them by posing as innocent and speaking in English. The STF senior officers then contacted the NIA to confirm his identity through a video call, sources revealed.